


Gods, Angels, & Demons

by KnightofHell_Cami



Category: Camp Half Blood - Fandom, Supernatural
Genre: Camp Half - Blood/Supernatural, Camp Half-Blood, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Destiel - Freeform, F/M, M/M, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, destiel au, destiel crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-04 19:16:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3084743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightofHell_Cami/pseuds/KnightofHell_Cami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>18 year old Dean Winchester, child of Ares, counselor of the Ares cabin is well known for his loyal demeanor, brave traits, and impressive use of a sword.<br/>However, 17 year old Castiel Novak, child of Apollo, is known for his quality of somehow getting bullied everywhere he goes. No matter what.<br/>Somehow, the two meet somewhere in the middle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Full Nothingness

Camp Half Blood.

Oh, Camp Half Blood.

Demigods everywhere, bustling around, weapons in hand, on backs, in shoes, in waistbands. That, quite possibly, is the true demigod spirit, as a child of Ares would say. The true demigod spirit is when one would steal without getting caught, as a child of Hermes would say. Or all of these things, different upon who your godly parent is. So there really is no true demigod spirit, I suppose. Not really, no. Though, as for Castiel Novak, what seemed to be the demigod spirit to others was bullying, hurting him, and always managing to pick fights.

No one ever really helped Castiel Novak when he was being hurt by another. Probably because it would just look like another practice, another training. Or maybe just because he was some nobody -- that's what he thought, at least.

He never quite fit in -- never quite made the great. He was always the outcast wherever he went, no matter it being a different school or a different foster home, or different city.

Things always seemed to change, change, change, and it made Cas angry. It made him angry how he wanted to fit in, but couldn't. It made him angry how he wanted to fight so well like the others did. It made him angry because he wanted to be  _normal._

\---

Dean Winchester.

Hottest guy in the entire camp, as stated by every single girl in the Aphrodite cabin.

He's counselor of the Ares cabin, the person not only children of Ares, but everyone in this darned camp looks up to. He can use every weapon possible, he's as smart as an Athenian in he time of battle, though not book smart. He's cunning, like a child of Hermes. He's all these amazing things, given these traits to be a weapon, as some would say.

He's what Mr. D would call an  _Elite:_ the demigods that are more powerful than originally thought, and are requested for larger quests and bigger problems.

Dean, personally, sometimes liked the fame and the girls, but other times, it was just annoying. He didn't like when the girls were constantly trying to get into his pants, or people constantly trying to see if they can win a duel against him, which, might I add, they never did.

The only person he could really trust in the whole camp was a child of Athena named Sam Campbell. He was smart, booksmart, and could fight well, so they trained together quite a lot. He'd taken care of Sam since he was just eight, when they had just so happened to bump into each other in the woods six years ago.

There was an age difference -- Sam is two years younger than him, which made him fourteen.

They were basically brothers now, Sam having been promoted to an  _Elite_ a while back due to request from Dean. He'd said he was amazing at battle plans, even more so at fighting, and after a test, he was put into the group.

As head of the  _Elites,_ Dean Winchester was  _definitely_ the most popular demigod in all of Camp Half Blood.

\---

"Stay down!" Lucas, known by Lucifer by  _everyone_ at the camp due to his bullying behavior. He's a child of Hermes, a child of Hermes that just loved to use Castiel as his own personal punching bag.

As of now, Cas had a foot to his stomach, nose bleeding everywhere, blood on his forehead, cheeks, shirt, in his black hair, just all over the place. He couldn't get up -- he couldn't move, and a couple ribs must have been broken.

"Hey man, stop." Said a very familiar and unexpected voice to Lucifer, sword in hand. "Do you really want me to do this?" He asked after Lucifer had kicked Cas in the stomach once again. Knowing Dean and his repuation, Lucifer fled, leaving Cas in his own pile of blood and dirt.

"Hey, dude, I gotta take you to the infirmary." Dean set his sword in it's sheathe that was along his back and scooped Castiel up into his arms, carrying him to the infirmary. "You okay? I mean, generally?" Dean asked as they walked, Cas' impossibly blue eyes looking up into Dean's also  _impossibly_ green eyes with a glazed over look. "Generally." He managed as his arms hooked around Dean's neck, keeping himself steady.

Dean looked down at him with a glare that had a twinge of  _get your hands off of me_ , but then again, he was carrying him, and this guy was hurt, and kind of cute, so he didn't say anything about it.

The infirmary was a cabin sized building, three stories high, fit to hold about ten people per floor. Once inside, Dean told the child of Apollo that was working at the time what had happened, and she nodded, leading Dean to the room where Cas should be laid down. He set him down on the hospital bed and sat in a chair beside him as he was fed a square of ambrosia to quicken the healing, then aside from that, was stitched up.

"Why are you staying in here? You're Dean Winchester, you should have better things to do. " Cas said after a few moments of silence, tilting his head to look over at Dean. "Because I need to make sure you're okay. Besides, that asshole could come back in here and overdose you on ambrosia or something." Dean explained, glaring up at him, looking at all of his bruises, stitched cuts, and dried blood that they didn't wash off.

"Fine."

"What's your name, anyways? I haven't really seen you around camp before." Dean straightened his back in the chair, fiddling with his thumbs in his lap. "Of course you haven't seen me around.." Cas chuckled softly to himself before he was actually replying. "I'm Castiel Novak, child of Apollo, the camp nobody." He sighed in defeat, then gestured to his cuts and bruises. "If I meant something to at least one person in this damn camp, I don't think I'd be so hurt."

Dean narrowed his eyes at him, because yeah, that was kind of true. He'd never seen him ever before just a few minutes ago, and yet based upon the beads that were on his neck, he'd been in the camp for five years. "Well, I'm glad to meet you, Cas."

No one ever called Castiel 'Cas' but this was  _Dean motherfucking Winchester,_ so he most definitely did not stop him from calling him Cas.

"Nice to meet you, too, Dean." Cas said calmly, looking at him with a raised brow.

"What?" Dean asked, noticing his expression.

"Nothing."

Dean shrugged it off, leaning back in his chair, continuing to fiddle with his thumbs.

_That's the demigod spirit. Saving people, not hurting them. Not training, or stealing, or any of those other things. Saving people. That's all, really. Just save people, or animals, and you're a true demigod._


	2. It All Starts Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm basically just introducing all of the characters in this chapter

**About Two Days Later**

Cas was staring at the ceiling, bored. He didn't have anything to do while he was in the infirmary, and the Apollo kids that took care of the patients would snicker at him because "he couldn't handle a simple cut". Dean would give them death glares because he had seen exactly how bad Cas had been hurt, and there was no way he could've just walked it off.

"How often does Lucifer do that to you?" Dean asked after a while, trying to rid of the silence. "Every two days, I guess. It's not like he's got a schedule or anything, he just kind of does it. But, if I were to give you a schedule, it's about every two days." Cas explained, and Dean nodded along. "That sucks." Dean said after thinking about how bad that would be.

Dean had never exactly been the one to get bullied, but then he was never exactly the one to be the bully. He had a pretty average life, in his eyes. At least, compared to other campers, he thought. That wasn't quite true.

A hydra had burnt down his house at age four, killing his mother in the fire. He was alone after that, taken into foster homes, but would always cause such a wreck of things, that he'd have to move across state, or to a different state, which happened twice in his life.

"Yeah. It sucks." Cas chuckled to himself, like it was funny for some odd reason. He would let Lucifer do that to him by now, because the first few times, he'd tried to fight him off, but it never worked, so he would just give in and be his punching bag. "If you ever need me, I'm in the Ares cabin. Or in the  _Elites_ cabin." He said after another few moments of aching silences.

"Why would you want to help me after this? You realize you're Dean Winchester and I'm -- I'm this." He gestured to what was actually a fairly muscled body, but to him, was nothing. Just another demigod; another utterly useless being on this planet. Dean shook his head. "Yeah, 'cause you're that. And that is something that's useful, not useless." He said simply, like it explained everything. Cas chuckled again. He seemed to have an odd sense of humor.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Something's funny. I don't see what's funny, Cas."

"No one's ever said I'm not useless."

\---

"Cas, you can leave. Doc says you're all healed up." Dean pointed out, walking through the door, panting and sweating. Cas had his eyes closed, but wasn't sleeping, so he raised a brow at him. He had gotten two squares of ambrosia, one in the morning and on at night, so that was probably why his ribs healed so quickly and his bruises went back to their usual color of tan, normal skin.

"Mmk." Cas said after a while and glared up at him, standing and putting on his jacket.

The camp half blood rules had changed after the war, and they could wear whatever clothes they wanted, not those ugly orange T-shirts. Cas and Dean had agreed that those shirts never looked very good on anyone, really.

Dean led him back to his cabin, which was empty because the reason why he had walked in panting and sweating was because they had just finished up a Capture The Flag, and now were all eating lunch. "Doc said to eat a single ambrosia square at night after dinner, just for tonight." Dean said as he sat on the bed that was across from Cas'. "Mmk."

He seemed to say 'mmk' a lot.

"Well you can go now. I'm not gonna die." Cas mumbled, laying back in his bed. "Fine, fine." Dean stood then left the Apollo cabin, leaving Castiel alone to listen to his iPod.

\---

Sam was the one who would guide the newbies around camp.

As of now, he had just finished guiding an eight year old to the Hermes cabin (he hadn't been claimed yet) and was going back to the entrance of camp on lookout.

The average amount of campers to come in per day was two, and on a good day, three. The camp had a sort of essence that had demigods drawn to it, which is why most demigods will end up, one way or another, as fate would have it, in Long Island. So now, about two hours after the little boy was taken around camp and into the Hermes cabin, this short, brown-haired kid was stumbling in, all cut and bruised; he'd probably been running from something.

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed, pulling out his dagger just in case anything had followed him. The boy seemed to be about his age, fifteen, scrawny looking, but generally well-built. The kid turned his eyes towards Sam and immediately began running to the  _much_ taller boy, falling to his knees once inside the camp barrier.

"Dude, what's your name?" Sam asked, helping him up. "Gabriel.." He managed to stutter out, and then was collapsing. His lips were chapped and cut -- bleeding due to lack of moisture, so Sam immediately took him to the infirmary, getting the nurses and the doctors on him as fast as he could. Though, for some reason, he had wanted to stay in the same room as him, but he had to stay on lookout at the camp barrier.

So that's what he did -- he patted Gabriel's shoulder then left, back to the entrance of camp, helping anyone in need of his assistance.

\---

Cas had tried his best to stay focused on his music, but his half-brothers and sisters were just  _so loud._ Sometimes, he really wished he was a child of Hypnos because all they did was sleep, eat, repeat.

The counselor of the Apollo cabin -- Raphael, was a nuisance. He would do anything to boss around the campers in his cabin, and anything to make him his own little weapons, or anything to get them to obey. Once, he actually threatened to banish one of the campers from camp because they hadn't agreed to toilet duty. Of course, Mr. D and Chiron didn't allow that, so that particular child of Apollo was perfectly fine.

Cas eventually had to get up and make his bed, due to demand by Raphael, groaning as he sat up. His ribs still hurt, but he managed.

He  _managed_ the same way he did for the next week of recovering, thanking the gods that Lucifer didn't kick his ass again, all thanks to Dean Winchester.

\---

**A Week Later**

Gabriel was in a coma for a week before Sam actually got to show him around camp.

"So this is the Big House." Sam explained, the shorter boy nodding and not saying anything.

By the end of the tour, Sam turned to Gabriel and said something he didn't normally say to any of the new campers. "For one, I'm in the Athena cabin if you ever need me. Two, this camp is gonna protect you. Whatever happened in your personal life that gave you a hard time or anything is over. You're safe here, I promise." Gabriel looked up at Sam with his golden-hazel eyes and nodded again.

"You're gonna be put into the Hermes cabin for now, considering you're not claimed yet." Sam guided him back to the Hermes cabin and set him up with a bed, made sure everything was okay before he went back to the camp barrier.

\---

Kevin Tran, scrawny, smartest kid in the Athena cabin. He's sixteen, got to camp when he was thirteen, and now teaches the Athena kids about the basic Greek mythology, and is in Advanced Greek Language. He's basically the person you'd think about the instant you think of an Athenian.

And then there's Charlie Bradbury, camp geek. She's child of Dionysus, the girl that plans all the parties and gets free passes to Comic con. She's very smart, but more computer-smart than anything, and the fact that she's a demigod and that hse can live this amazing, quest-ful life is her favorite thing. She's  _very_ adventurous.

\---

Crowley Mcleoud, head of the Hades cabin, though a feud between him and Abbie, though known by the biblical ones from the Athena cabin as Abbadon. The red-head was fierce, shown by her dark clothes, leather jacket, and shaggy, bed-headed pixie cut that somehow made he look even more scary. Crowley, to be fair, had been at camp longer than her, but Abbadon, to be fair, was born more of a leader, and to be fair, was slightly more powerful than Crowley.

She could boost her Hades powers to a much higher maximum than Crowley could, causing her to be easily thought of as more worthy of cabin counselor. But Crowley was there first, and Crowley had been in camp longer, which puts in the camp rules; oldest in the cabin rules the cabin.

\---

Meg Masters.

Meg Masters, rebellious child of Aphrodite.

Though, she's not the head of the cabin, she's still highly 'respected', though respected is more of a 'stay the fuck away from me you're scary as shit' not 'oh wow, she's pretty, I look up to her' kind of respect.

The head of the cabin, though, is Lisa Braedon, sassy, black hair, always gets what she wants. No one ever really liked Lisa, except for her closer friends.

Meg's black hair was normally up in a ponytail, makeup and clothing dark, to which point the others in the Aphrodite would laugh at her, aside from a few others that actually kind of liked how different she was. The only people she could hang around, though, were children of Ares or Hades, just due to how much more she would fit into those cabins.

Though, her looks and her sense of gothic fashion gave way to how much of a true children of Aphrodite she was, plus the fact that she'd been working charmspeak since she was just a kid. Her mishcheviousness could easily be put as her top quality, her second being how well she could handle a knife, better than probably the average child of Athena.

She was definitely not a force to be reckoned with.

\---

Oracle, Anna Milton.

She gives quests, prophecies, and readings of the future. She lives in the Big House, along with a few of the harpies and the satyrs, which brings this story to another character. Ash, a satyr, who dedicated his protecting to Jo Harvelle, now fifteen year-old child of Ares, someone Dean prefers to say is his sister. Which is true, because they are half-brother and sister, but Dean has taken care of Jo since he was thirteen.

She's only fifteen, but the fight she's got is definitely more than the average child of Ares.

\---

Benny Lafitte, child of Haphaestus, Dean's friend, who is also an  _Elite._ He went through the Underworld with Dean, causing for a close friendship between the two. He's the one to repair Dean's weapons, give him new ones to test out, or go on quests with.

Aside from Benny, who is known mostly by his literal fire works, Michael, basically the head of the whole camp considering he's the only child of Zeus, Mr. D's favorite, as he says. He's just the perfect little camper -- always does what Chiron or Mr. D says, or is the perfect leader. There's been a major feud between him and Dean WInchester lately, which isn't only what people might think.

See, Michael has been constantly trying to make moves on Dean, desperately trying to get him to saying 'yes' to coming to his cabin for a fun night, but Dean continueously declines his offers. Michael said he'd give him all the pie he wants, or all the girls he'd need, even if they were in a relationship, but still, Dean declined the fame.

He didn't want to be somebody's weapon, or instrument, or taken advantage of, so he never said 'yes'.

\---

Balthazar, another child of Aphrodite. He's blonde, has too many V-necks, and is constantly flirting with the girls. He's British -- his dad had moved from England to America when he was about seven, and his father got bad, and hit him. He ran away when he was about fourteen, got to camp at fifteen, and was claimed as a child of Aphrodite almost immediately.

It was obvious -- almost. His essence wasn't just sense of fashion, or design, but was sneaky, like a child of Hermes. Probably due to him learning from Lucifer when he first got to camp. He was seventeen now, and could pick locks as well as anybody else could.

\---

All these people and they would gather at the annual campfire and sing songs, eat, talk, whatever teenagers did at bonfires. Cas had sat next to Dean because he didn't know where else to go.

Michael was sitting on a branch, eating a marshmallow.

Lucifer was leaning up against that same tree, eating a marshmallow, as well.

Sam and Gabriel were talking on one of the logs that were around the fire. Jo had sat in front of Dean, on the dirt so she could roast her marshmallow. Abbadon and Crowley conserved their own corners of darkness, as far away from each other as possible. Lisa and Meg fought over who's hair was darker, which to be fair, they were basically the same shade.

Raphael pushed around another child of Apollo like a ragdoll.

Balthazar debated to himself what he should wear that next day.

Anna was muttering nonsense to herself.

Everybody was -- generally -- happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can tell, there are many aspects to this story aside from just Destiel. Though, aside from that, Destiel is still the main story line, I promise. The other aspects of the story, if you get down to it, revolve around the Destiel aspect of the story. I was just making this note to explain things for my cuties <3 Have a lovely day!


	3. Sweets and Swords

"Cas, do you want me to teach you how to fight or not?" Dean asked, seeing that Cas had just lost  _another_ duel. Cas looked up at him and tilted his head. "You want to help me? Fight? And why might that be, Dean Winchester?" Cas asked with a furrow to his brow. "Because you need to fucking learn how to use a sword and a bow, for fucks sake. You're okay, but you've been at this camp for five years. You should know by now."

Cas sighed.

"Fine." He agreed, then Dean was taking him to what was now the empty archery area. He took a bow off the rack and a single arrow, showing Cas how to hold it. He had gotten real close, chest against Cas' side, which made Cas suck in a breath due to their close proximity. He could  _feel_ his abs through his shirt. 

After a few moments of adjusting and standing like that, Dean's cheek was basically against Cas' temple, brushing against the skin with a smoothness that he'd never felt before. He didn't protest, though.

"Yeah, like that." Dean said after a bit, then was handing him the arrow. "Okay, so you have to pull your arm back so your hand is damn near your face, okay? It's a little hard at first, but you'll get good at it. You  _are_ a child of Apollo." Dean smirked, and Cas chuckled before he straightened his back again and pulled the string back.

He closed one eye, positioned the arrow as best he could before he let it fly. He lowered the bow to look where it landed -- on the very outer edge.

"That was..." He coughed. "Good." 

But Cas still didn't stop him from getting real close again, and Cas didn't stop him from continuing to teach him until he hit the bullseye. 

Once he did, Dean smiled and looked down at Cas proudly, like he had just won the lottery. "We can go back to archery tomorrow. I'll be your own personal trainer."

Cas cocked a brow, but didn't question it.

"Why am I so special?" Cas asked after setting the bow back down.

"I dunno."

It was true, though. There was something about Cas that Dean just  _really_ liked that he couldn't explain. It was just -- there. So yes, Cas was special, Cas was different. He did know why Cas was different though; he hadn't flirted with him, or  _begged_ to get taught some moves, or jump on the "I love Dean Winchester" bandwagon. No, he just kind of became a part of Dean's life that he couldn't quite explain.  _  
_

He just kind of appeared, and then he was always there, even if he wasn't in front of him, but somewhere in the back of his head.

And Dean thought he shouldn't be thinking about this because he'd only known this kid for a good two weeks, but hell if he cared. He was all kinds of cute, to say the least, and the way he just got so flustered when he got so close to him and--

"Dean, I have to head to lunch."

"Right, yeah." Dean nodded, gulping and nodding his head.

"See ya, Cas."

"Bye, Dean."

As he walked off, Dean shouted something to him. "Be at the arena in an hour!" Cas heard it, and yelled back. "I know!" He laughed, then continued walking, thoughts of Dean Winchester in the back of his mind, too.

\---  
  


"Gabe, man, you gotta simmer down on the sweets." Sam insisted as he watched the smaller boy scarf down what must have been a hundred candies. "Aw, come on, Samsquatch. Not like I'm gonna die or anything. Here, have a lollipop." He handed him a sucker, which Sam looked at, twisted in between his fingers before he set it down on the table.

"Fine, then. More for me." Gabriel snickered, then picked the sucker back up and stuffed it into his pocket. After a few more moments of the sound of eating, Gabe chimed up, a piece of a Hershey bar in his mouth. "What're the  _Elites?"_ He asked, quickly eating the rest of the chocolate before Sam answered. 

"The  _Elites_ are a hand-picked group of demigods that are more than the average half-blood. They're either more brains, more fight, or both. I, myself, am both. But, Dean Winchester, the person you've definitely heard about, is slightly more fight. He's like a brother to me. Some of the other  _Elites_ are Benny Lafitte, who I don't like much, Kevin Tran, child of Athena, he's the main brains. Charlie Bradbury, child of Dionysus. She sort of plans the trips to places that include human interaction, I guess. She's more involved in pop-culture than any of us, so talk to her if you ever need help figuring out how much of a douche Justin Beiber is." He paused for a moment, then continued.

"Crowley Mcleoud. He's definitely a strange one, very aggressive, very snarky and sassy. You get used to it. Raphael, child of Apollo. He's second bossiest, I'll get to whose first bossiest and who's actually the boss in a second. But Raphael, this dude will do  _anything_ to get someone to be his follower. No one likes him. The first bossiest, is Michael, as I said, child of Zeus. He's got an attitude. But the actual leader of the  _Elites_ is Dean." _  
_

Gabriel nodded. He managed to pop a jawbreaker into his mouth in the meantime.

"I mean, there's more people, but, I can't really remember them. Oh! There's Jo Harvelle. She joined earlier this year 'cause she turned fifteen, which is the required age." He explained. "It's for safety. The  _Elites_ are the ones to take the bigger quests. More dangerous ones. Nothing a young demigod should go through."

Sam actually  _shivered_ because of remembering what he had to do to get in.

One would have to go through each of their three biggest fears and face them, and then there was the actual duel, which now, was against Dean due to him being the best sword-weilder in the whole camp. Then there was the hydra test.

No one likes the hydra test.

People almost  _die_ in the hydra test.

But, if people really want to be popular, they join the  _Elites,_ so they do what it takes.

"You okay, man?" Gabriel asked, kicking Sam's shin from across the table. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good." He had zone out for a bit and was staring at blank space, but now, his eyes focused on the wrappers that Gabriel had gone through.

"Good Gods, Gabriel."

\---

Dean and Cas met at the arena an hour later, just like they said.

"Hello, Dean." Cas said, creeping up behind him. Dean actually dropped the sword he was holding, jumping what he felt like was two feet in the air. "Jesus Christ, Cas!" Dean turned around and looked at him, Cas' face deadpanned. "Don't creep up on me like that." He breathed out a laugh, then handed Cas a sword. 

"Is it light enough for you? Weight feel right?" He asked as he watched Cas hold the sword in different ways. "Yeah, it's good. But I'm totally getting my own weapon from the weapon's shack eventually." Cas punched Dean's shoulder playfully, a little grin on his face. "Hey, now." Dean said with a little chuckle, just teasing him.

"Okay, you're gonna practice on me. Just -- just don't stab me." Dean said with wide green eyes, eyes like emeralds. Cas smiled at the realization of how green they were, then nodded to what Dean had said. 

Cas knew how to hold a sword and where to start in his stance, so Dean didn't have to adjust anything in that section of things. He went across from him, getting into his own stance, the sword that was on his back now in hand. "Slow at first." Dean muttered, eyes fixing on Cas'.

Then Cas was lunging at Dean, sword going for his stomach. Dean shifted, then was kicking the back of Cas' knee, which made him stumble, giving Dean the chance to push the tip of the sword agianst the nape of Cas' neck. Cas paused at the feeling of metal, then was ducking, spinning around and sweeping Dean's feet down. 

That was definitely something Dean was surprised, because it took time to master that move.

Dean, in the meantime, was about to fall backwards, but he balanced himself. Cas had stood back across from him, the two circling each other.

"Nice job taking it slow."

"I never said I had no idea how to use a sword, Dean Winchester."

Then Dean was lunging forward, but Cas was ducking, and Dean was swatting at the air. Cas punched him in the side, then was shooting around him and kicking him in the back.

Of course, Dean was going easy.

Way easy.

He could easily take Cas, but to be honest, he wasn't bad.

At all.

So Dean stumbled forward once again, turning around as fast he could, ducking immediately because the sword was being swatted at his head.

Dean smirked, seeing an opening in his guard, and lunged forward, and Cas didn't know what happened, but he was suddenly with his back on the floor of the arena, Dean above him, knees on either side of his thighs, edge of his sword against his neck. 

"Gotcha."

Cas grinned, eyes scanning over Dean's position with amusement. After a few moments of just sitting there like that, Dean was standing and holding a hand out for Cas to take. He took it, and Dean hoisted him up, grins on both of their faces.

"Again?"

"Again."

\---

The sound of stapling on the Camp Half Blood News Billboard was heard.

Abbadon was pressing papers on a duel that was going to go down between her and Crowley. It said something along the lines of "Duel coming up, Crowley VS Abbadon, winner is Hades cabin counselor'.

Demigods huddled around the board to get a closer look at it. A few laughed, a few whispered to other who they knew would win, and a few just kind of shrugged it off. 

This was going to be one interesting fight. 

\---

 What Cas  _didn't_ tell Dean was that he was actually  _really_ good at gymnastics and acrobatics.

What Dean  _didn't_ tell to Cas that that was kind of  _really_ hot. _  
_

So currently, Cas was actually doing really good, like, really, really good. He was fast, faster than Dean had ever fought, which would definitely come in handy. Cas had a sword against Dean's chest, both of their lips bleeding, but hell if they cared. This was fun for a demigod.

"You're not bad, Novak." Dean teased, pushing the blade off of his chest. "Not bad? I pretty much beat you, Dean Winchester, a child of Ares, three times." He raised his chin proudly. "Hey, I was going easy. You should see me in Capture The Flag." Dean wiped the blood off of his chin, then was taking Cas' sword out of his hand and placing it on the rack.

"I think I know what weapon you should get."

They arrived at the weapons shack a few minutes later, Cas admiring all of the pointy objects and engraved bows. 

"You're fast, so you need something light -- something that is easy to weild, doesn't make much noise. So, I reccomend a katana." Dean pulled what was the only katana off of one of the racks and handed it to him.

"Do you want to try dual weild? Or... one second." Cas tested out the sword in the meantime, making a 'hm' face at it. He'd only ever used the basic sword or dagger, so this was different. 

Dean came back a few moments later with a dual-bladed sword. Only one in the whole armory. It wasn't a sword that had two blades on one side -- no, it was a sword with a handle in the middle, then jutting out from either sides were the blades. Both engraved with Greek letters that Dean could easily get Benny to adjust so it said Castiel.

"This sword is for people like you. Only people like you. People that are faster, swifter, stealthier,  _bendier."_ Cas raised a brow at the last word, but still took the sword into hand. It was  _way_ different, but it was a really good fit. The correct term was a double-bladed polearn, but Dean never really remembered correct terms for weapons. 

"It gives you a sort of swiftness that no one else has. You can use it one-handed or two-handed, either fits. Or both, I guess. And, it's just badass, so I think you should use it."

The polearn was correctly named  _Aeroga,_ which Dean could read from the Greek letters engraved into one of the blades. It was lighter than the katana, and yes, Cas was  _so_ going to use this sword.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's awesome." Cas smiled. "Do you have something that I could use to maybe sling it across my back?"

"Yeah, we can get one fitted to you. Now you need a bow and daggers."

The bow, too, was light, and came with a quiver that could hold more than enough arrows. The daggers he got weren't anything special, just enough to do the trick. 

"Now that you've got weapons, there's a Capture The Flag tomorrow. Do you -- do you want to be on my team or somethin'?" Dean asked as they walked out of the armory, scratching the back of his neck. Cas looked up at him, blushing red because that was basically like being asked out onto a date in Camp Half Blood, and somehow, he managed to stutter out a "sure".

"Cool. I'm just.. I have to go train the demigods, so.. you go do whatever Castiel Novak does at 6 PM on a Thursday." Dean chuckled, walking backwards away from Cas, Cas who was holding his new sword like a pro. "That means cabin cleaning." Cas sighed, a smile on his face, too. 

"You could ditch."

"Raphael doesn't like that. You know that."

"Aw, come on."

"Dean, I have to go. He'll get mad."

"Fine, fine. Go be an angel and get there perfectly on time."

"An angel, huh?"

"Yeah, an angel."

Cas laughed and shook his head, Dean turning around and jogging back off to the arena to teach sword fighting lessons. Cas ended up getting bossed around again by Raphael, of course. Though, tonight it was worse because when he was too slow to get on his knees and scrub the floor, Raphael had kicked him down, leaving him with an aching back the rest of the night.

What a wonderful life.


	4. Flags

Dean looked up from the demigods that huddled around him, some in red armor, some in blue. Dean was in red, and towered over at least two inches over everyone so he could easily see Castiel walked towards the group of half-bloods with  _Aeroga_ in his hand, quiver and bow across back, daggers somewhere hidden in his clothes

Dean's smile widened at that, and he signalled him over. Cas saw and started jogging towards him, walking through all of the demigods to get to him.

"When's it starting?" Cas asked, cheek pressing up against Dean's shoulder due to everyone huddling around him, pressing everyone together. "Five minutes." Dean replied, not even turning his head to look down at him. "We're gonna go to our flag, then you'll hear a gun go off. Stay next to me until I tell you to go somewhere."

Dean was in fight mode, and Cas knew that, so he didn't mind his somewhat rude behavior. It wasn't necessarily rude -- just demanding; giving orders.

Then Dean was guiding every to the red flag, the blue team parting, going the opposite direction into the forest.

"Here we go. Battle plan." Said Sam, then Dean adding onto his sentence every once in a while.

**Four Minutes Later**

Cas was the stealth of the team; the archer; the speed.

Dean was the brute force; the strength; the main attack.

Sam was tall. He could fight, but in Capture The Flag, he was the one to put everyone into play. The team Dean was on was always the most strategic, whereas the opposing team just attacked.

So now Dean and Cas were running through the forest, jumping over logs when it came to them, Dean eventually turning to Cas and giving him the look that said  _go._ Cas smirked and turning off, jumping up into one of the trees, flipping himself over the branch. Dean could be heard running through leaves, but Cas couldn't. Although he was jumping from branch to branch, lifting himself up onto trees, he was still silent.

One of the blues came running past the tree Cas was in, but before he got too far, Cas was leaning down, almost falling off the branch he was on, but his hands caught himself, and he was kicking the back of the blues head.

Before he could get up, Cas was back in the tree, hidden.

The kid looked like he'd seen a ghost, to which point was looking around with narrowed eyes. Cas held in a laugh before the demigod was moving again, Cas following him.

\---

"Crowley."

Dean stopped in his tracks, looking at Crowley like he was prey.

"Winchester." Crowley greeted, and then Dean was stepping forward, sword in hand, no shield, but Crowley had a shield, and blocked the attack. Crowley spun around, putting his foot between Dean's legs and bringing it forward, still locked onto one of his ankles, making Dean fall face forward onto the ground.

\---

The person Castiel was following ended up being Raphael.

Raphael, of all people.

And now he was just trying to get onto his nerves by occasionally pelting a rock at him or shooting an arrow and just knicking his ear, or onto the tree next to him.

Eventually, Cas got ahead of him and dropped down in front of him, pressing one tip of the blade into his chest. "Heya, Raphael." Cas smirked, and then was spinning around, pushing the flat of the blade into Raphael's back, causing him to stumble forward, giving way for Cas to put his foot between his legs, locking it onto one of his ankles, which balanced him, only to have Cas pull his foot back, and fall onto the ground.

Cas heard a snap, and Raphael's ankle had twisted.

"Oops." Cas jumped back up into the trees, then was gone, going towards the blue flag.

\---

"Seems Dean Winchester is down. I could do so many things to you in that position."

Dean, though, was hopping up and standing back across from Crowley, blood coming off of his forehead. He must have hit a rock. Crowley lunged this time, Dean too quick and ducking out of the way. He tried to at least cut Crowley's shoulder, but their swords clashed as Crowley blocked the attack.

Crowley gave a huff, despserately trying to push Dean's sword away, or at least out of his hand, but Dean was too strong. He pressed Crowley's sword out of his hand, leaving him only weilding his shield. Crowley was clearly in pain -- his wrist was probably sprained from his sword being so forcefully pushed out of his hand.

"Shit." Crowley muttered to himself, which made Dean smirk, because all he had to do was punch Crowley in the nose, leaving him stunned long enough to run away.

\---

Cas was like a  _monkey._

Not only did he hop from branch to branch, but tree to tree, and Dean had no idea how he did it, but he did. He was like one of those Elves from  _The Hobbit._

Cas found Dean a bit after he had taken care of Raphael, hopping down from the branch and landing in front of him. "Jesus, Cas!" Dean exclaimed, having instinctively pressed the sword against his chest. Cas pushed the sword away from his torso, the tip of the blade having gone through his shirt and drawn some blood.

"Man, I'm sorry, don't scare me like that.." Dean breathed, holding his sword by his side. "It's fine, let's just go get the flag." Dean nodded and they ran off, towards the flag.

Once they got near it, they found that there were eight demigods guarding it, to which point Dean pulled Cas down behind a bush so they couldn't see them. They whispered what their game plan would be, then Cas was shooting up, screaming out, "Hey, assbutt!" To the nearest demigod and pelting a rock at them. They all turned and stared at him for a moment, about to attack, before Dean was shooting up, arrow knocked back, shooting it at one of their feet.

He handed Cas his bow back, then they were hopping over the bush, the remaining seven surrounding them. Cas turned to Dean, who mumbled something unheard to the opposing demigods. Cas nodded, and then they were standing back to back, eyes darting from demigod to demigod, the enemy flag so close yet so far.

Cas had Aeroga out, Dean with his own sword, in stance, just waiting for one of them to attack.

When two attacked at once, Cas was the first to clash swords, Dean the first to throw a punch, then cut along the attacker's cheek. Then Cas was holding Aeroga up higher, because the demigods were all going for them, brute force, no strategy. Dean gave the 'you ready' kind of look, and Cas nodded, a grin on his face.

They all attacked, Cas almost immediately being knocked down due to the largest one going at him first. Dean managed to get two of them down, but ended up falling to his knees next to Cas. They looked at each other, Dean's green eyes widening in an idea. Without question, but getting the memo as the remaining three attacked, Dean was picking Cas up, one hand gripped tight on his shoulder, the other under his knee, bringing him upwards so he could whip him around and kick each other the demigod's faces.

He put him down after that, the first demigod that got kicked knocked out, the other two dazed.

Dean ran off and picked up the flag with the first chance he got, but signalled for Cas to run over so he could hold it, instead.

"Dean, you picked it up, you can do it."

"Cas, I want you to do it. You kicked some ass. Come on, hold it." Dean insisted, Cas giving a bit of a pout before he was taking the flag out of his hand and holding it up. Though there were cuts and bruises on both their faces, they were smiling, and the other red team members were running towards them, cheering.

When they saw that it wasn't Dean holding the flag, but Cas, they hoisted him up onto their shoulders, one of the shoulders being Dean's, hands on his back to steady him and make sure he didn't fall. They all laughed and cheered Castiel's name as they made wa y towards the mess hall for victory lunch, Cas being placed next to all of the more popular half-bloods.

"So how'd you do it, Cas?" Someone asked from across the table, to which Cas lifted his blue eyes up to the demigod, head still ducked down, looking at his food. His lips broke out into a grin. "I can use both a sword and a bow, and I'm fast. Stealthy. So, I can move around people easier, causing for a higher chance of me winning a fight, I guess. But, a lot of it goes to Dean. He helped me out with the last attack before I got the flag."

Dean smiled at that, having been sitting next to Cas, scarfing down two pieces of pecan pie.

The kid smiled. "Thanks, dude. You're awesome." Cas smiled, the demigod picking up his food and walking off to a different table.

There weren't any cabin-by-cabin seatins after Capture The Flag, so everyone from the winning team were sitting at just two different tables, all laughing and playing, throwing food at each other.

After a while, Dean turned to Cas, leaning back in his seat. "Where'd you learn to climb like that? And I mean, it's not just climbing. It's the balancing and the jumping and bending." Dean asked, Cas putting his sandwhich down to answer. "I used to take gymnastics when I was younger. There was a class for it at one of my, uh, foster homes, and I got really good. I learned a few things by myself, practiced on trees in the forests."

He paused, then continued.

"Then before I got here, I had been chased by more than a few monsters and I realized how well I could get through small spaces, or move really easily, quickly, and I just got really,  _really_ good." He explained.

Dean made sure not to ask about the foster homes. That was always a testy subject with demigods. "That's cool. That's really cool." Dean leaned his shoulder into him, a smile on both their faces. "You wanna train with me tomorrow?" Dean asked, looking at him with wide, emerald green eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, sure." Cas smiled, then he was standing up, patting Dean's shoulder, maybe even squeezing it a bit as he walked off.

Dean watched him walk away, and once he realized he was, he blinked a few times, then went back to talking with Sam.

Tomorrow was going to be fun, was what they both thought.


	5. Red

Cas stepped into the arena, eyes locking onto Dean's almost instantly. He was the only one in there, probably because it was only seven AM and breakfast wasn't until eight thirty. Though, the mess hall was always open, so Cas managed to grab an apple and ate it on the way to the arena,

"Hey, Cas." Dean smiled, Cas' lips spreading into a grin. "Hello, Dean." He chuckled softly to himself as he sat on one of the benches, placing a water bottle under it, then polishing Aeroga with the hem of his shirt. Dean let him do so, only to admire his focused look and how his tongue stuck slightly out of the side of his mouth while he polished the two blades. He had chuckled to himself, to which Cas' eyes llifted up to Dean's, head still ducked down.

"What?" He asked, and Dean shook his head. "Nothing." Cas' eyes moved back down to the blade.

He was done within the next few minutes, then standing across from Dean, the two getting into stance. Dean flipped his sword in the air, catching it perfectly when the handle landed back in his hand. Cas tilted his head to the side at the little movement, but was lunging at him at the exact moment Dean thought he'd keep still.

Though, Dean ducked out of the way, elbowing Cas in the side when he got the chance. Of course, he didn't do it as hard as he could, just because there was no way he'd hurt Cas. Cas was quick to react, spinning around, throwing a backwards roundhouse kick to Dean's back. Dean groaned, but didn't falter. He was still ducked down when he rotated on one foot, the other sweeping under Cas, making the graceful demigod fall, Aeroga dropping to the floor.

Cas tried his best to get back up to his feet, but Dean was doing the same foot-locking-onto-ankle move, but did it wrong, and he was falling on top of Cas, catching himself by placing his hands beside Cas' head. His blue eyes looked up at Dean's, cheeks flushed red, Dean's lips dangerously close to Cas'.

"Dean.." Cas breathed, and then Dean was staring back into Cas' eyes, their gazes catching each other's. But Dean's forehead was dripping blood and Cas could feel it, and his eyes moved from Dean's, Dean blushing at the realization of how close they were. "Shit -- sorry." The child of Ares moved away and stood. He helped Cas up, but aside from that, he didn't touch him.

"I gotta go to breakfast."

Cas nodded,letting his gaze drop to the floor. "Yeah -- yeah, me too."

They both knew  _something_ had happened just then, but whatever happened, hadn't finished. Dean was off without even a goodbye, Cas taking a minute or so to just stand there before he actually left the arena to head to his cabin.

While Dean was on his way to the mess hall, he was suddenly pushed against one of the cabins, powerful hands on his hips. When his vision focused, it was Michael, and he was pressing a rough kiss onto his lips. "You better fucking stop whatever you're doing with that fucking pathetic child of Apollo." Michael pressed against Dean's lips, but he was moving them down to his neck, making sure Dean couldn't get away.

Though, Dean had growled at Michael's comment, because Cas was  _not_ pathetic, and Cas was  _not_ just some child of Apollo. So Dean reached around and grabbed the dagger that was tucked away in the back of his pants, lashing it around and cutting a line across Michael's cheek. Michael's eyes narrowed, then he was slapping Dean across the face, Dean pushing him away with anger in his movements.

Dean kicked him in the balls, then ran off to the arena while the child of Zeus was still in pain. 

\---

**One Week and No Training Later**

"Hey, Cas!" Said a generally unfamiliar voice from across the way. He was alone; tending to the strawberry fields, weapons somewhere in his cabin. But he didn't look up at his name being called, which was not a good idea because he was suddenly getting a punch thrown at his face, then he was tackled to the ground.

"Oh, Cas, Dean's  _mine."_ Cas realized it was crazy-possesive Michael, and his eyes widened, forehead having been bleeding onto the dirt beneath him from hitting a rock. "Get the  _fuck_ away from him." He threw a punch between every word, Michael's body on top of Cas', pinning him down, no escape. "You think you can have him, huh? Pathetic fucking child of Apollo things he can have an  _Elite._ And not only that,  _Dean Winchester?_ You think you're good enough for him? You're not, Cas! You're fucking terrible! You can't fight for shit, and he's only talking to you because you're so pathetic that it's sad."

A dozen punches later and Cas was basically knocked out, Michael's fists red, bruised, and bloody.

There was a blow to the cheek, a painful ringing in Cas' ears, then the world went white, and suddenly, pitch black.

\---

Faint, distorted words were all Cas could hear as he blinked his eyes open. The face he saw was blurry, and then he was being lifted and run somewhere. He knew in the back of his mind he was going to the infirmary, but his vision was so blurry and his ears were so stuffy that he just couldn't focus right on anything.

Then his blue eyes shut again, and the world went blank for the second time.

\---

"..s..!..as..!..Cas!" His blue eyes fluttered open, pupils focusing on where the noise was coming from.

Green.

Green was the first thing he saw.

Fuck, those green eyes. Of course it was Dean that had found him.  _Of course._

"Gods! I thought you were dead!" Dean exclaimed, standing in front of the infirmary bed that Cas was in with worry in his emerald eyes. Cas didn't say anything, though. Not for a while.

"Why would you care if I were dead?"

Dean narrowed his eyes down at him, like that was the most stupid question he'd ever heard. "He said you were his. He said you only talk to me because I'm pathetic. I'm pathetic, I know I am, so just go away. You don't want to talk to me, so just go." Cas' face deadpanned, eyes glazed over, bruises all over his face, even after the ambrosia worked its magic.

"Cas, what the fuck kind of question is that?" Dean shook his head, sitting himself down in the chair beside his bed, staring up at him, waiting for his answer. "It's true. You know it's true, don't you? You do." Cas didn't make eye contact. He just kept his gaze on the ceiling, his face showing no sign of emotion. "Cas, you're not pathetic. You're really, really not. Who said you were pathetic? They clearly don't have eyes, because if they did, they'd realize that you're awesome. Best person I've met in a while, Cas."

He still didn't turn his eyes.

"Michael said it to me. Clearly you're his and he doesn't want me to be near you anymore." Cas explained, and Dean huffed, because Michael was some phsyco-possesive stalker. "Michael has been trying to get me to take him on a date since I was sixteen. I've never said yes, and I never will. He's crazy. Don't listen to him, because odds are, everything he says is bullshit." Dean stated without a single falter, or a single stutter.

But what Cas  _didn't_ expect was Dean's hand reaching up and lacing his fingers through Cas' like they were meant to be there, like they were perfect puzzle pieces. Cas' eyes fluttered over to Dean's, and they just looked at each other for a moment before Dean was talking again. "You're not. Pathetic." Dean stated with a certain form of determination in his voice. " _You're perfect."_ Dean breathed, Cas' lips parting at that, because he has never, once, ever, been called perfect.

\---

"You ready, bitch?" Crowley tested, flipping his sword in his hand, the red-head in front of him smirking like this was what she was born to do. "You know it, you little prick."

There were cheers, screams, boos, chants, everything known to man to go into a fight like this.

But when Abbadon was pressing her sword a bit too far into Crowley's stomach, there was a gasp from the crowd, but Crowley barely faltered. He somehow managed to push the sword away and thrown Abbadon to the ground, pinning her down, sword against her neck. She growled, eyes searching for anything that she could use to win this fight.

Then she got it.

And she was gone.

Crowley's eyes widened, because he knew  _exactly_ what she had just done, but then again, he didn't know where she would reappear.

Of course.

Behind him.

There were swords clashing again, all flashes of red hair and dark clothes. Then the chants got louder and they were still fighting, cuts being made, bruises being indented into skin. Then suddenly everything went quiet and there was more red.

Too much red.

Too, too much red.

Everyone tried to get a better look at what happened, but all they could see was blood pooling, red, hot, thick blood.


	6. Good Gods

Cas, yet again, said not a word. It was the silence, sometimes, only sometimes, that he enjoyed. Probably because he could keep his thoughts to himself. Or maybe because it was so easy to get lost in.

But then, silence is of course a scary thing sometimes.

Its nothingness brings suspense, maybe darkness, maybe emptiness.

But this silence wasn't empty.

Because Dean was holding Cas' hand,  
and they were staring into each other's eyes like they were their whole world, and Dean's thumb was running circles along the curve between Cas' thumb and pointer finger.

"Don't ever think you're not important, Cas. You're important to me." Dean confessed, and Cas was letting his own silence consume him, no words falling from his lips, not a one.

"I don't understand why I'm so drawn to you; I don't understand the way you're making me feel. But I -- I think I'm starting to understand the lengths I would go for you." Dean kept his gaze on Cas' blue eyes; Cas' perfect blue eyes. Cas' lips were still parted, and Dean leaned back in his chair, fingers still intertwined.

"I don't know what to say.." Cas muttered under his breath. "Then don't say anything." Dean replied, Cas squeezing Dean's hand in an effort to silently tell him something.

Maybe it was supposed to mean "okay".

Maybe it was supposed to mean "thank you".

He didn't know.

But it was saying something, and it meant something, so they left it at that.

\---  
Everyone was cleared out of the arena before they could find out who had spilled so much blood. Everyone knew that that much blood meant death. But that was not a fight to the death, and it must have been an accident, yet no one knew if it was or not.

Except for a select few.

That select few being the Elites, and the surviving member of the duel.

There was such a rarity of demigods killing other demigods now, and if there was one circumstance in which that happened, the surviving demigod would be banished. Harsh, but necessary. Some people, as in those who saw exactly what happened, would be able to tell if it were an accident, and the survivor could slip out of banishment.

Not a single word of who won was given out to any of the campers, and to those who did in fact see what happened, were sworn to stay quiet about it until further notice.

Things like this were not supposed to happen, and it would cause chaos if it did, so the Elites would take care of everything and sort everything out until it all calmed down.

\---

"So, Cas, I never did know your schedule. Tell me. What classes have you got and when." Dean asked, trying to bring up the conversation, hands still connected.

"Of course, I go to breakfast at eight AM and cabin inspection is at eight AM. Pegasus riding is after breakfast until eleven, then archery until twelve. Lunch break is at twelve fifteen to one, as you know, then I've got two hours of free time, which I use as my own personal training, so I don't have sword and shield training. You would know, obviously, because you teach sword and shield." He paused for a moment, thinking about what exactly his next class was, then continuing.

"From three to four I've got a choice between Greek History and Greek Language, even though I know everything from both of those. I guess I switch every other day. Monster assault techniques from four to six. Dinner from six to seven, then I've got arts and crafts, which I don't have to go to, once again, because it's more of a choice, so I just use that time to train. Then eight to eight thirty is climbing wall and eight thirty to nine is cabin clean up."

"Then, lastly, of course, is the bonfire."

Cas shrugged, Dean looking at him as if that was the most important thing anyone has ever said, even though it was just a goddamn schedule, but what the hell. Cas didn't care.

"I realize now that you talk a lot when you're asked a question, but other than that, you're quiet." Dean concluded, a sigh escaping from his lips. "How do you know parkour like that? I mean, you told me you did acrobatics and gymnastics and stuff, but that doesn't mean you can do all those flips and jumps and stuff... right?"

Cas looked at him, deadpanned, but was answering. "Well, yes and no.. I mean, you have to be flexible and stuff to do parkour and everything. Like I said, I ended up getting into very sticky situations in which I had to run, and some of those had lots of improvised things, such as, one of them being, jumping from a building to a building. I never knew I could do it until one of those nasty ass vampire things was trying to chase me off of a roof, and I jumped, but landed on the other building. Even she couldn't get over. I think I was fifteen or so."

Dean's mouth almost dropped, because this kid in front of him was so self-taught that it was almost obnoxious.'

"I did a lot of training after that. Alone, I guess. I was alone for a while."

Dean didn't question what he said last. You're not supposed to say anything about something like that as a demigod. Common courtesy.

And then things were silent again, because silence managed to creep in one way or another, someway, somehow, it would appear, and then suddenly, it would be gone, with the buzzing of a fly or tapping of a foot.

"Why am I so special?" Cas asked again, the silence ceasing, crawling away into the darkest corners of the room.

"You're just special." Dean said simply, as if that answered everything. "Dean, really --" but he was cut off, Dean interupting. "Because, Cas, you're different. I've met every single person at this camp, and all of them want to either get into my pants or talk to me, or be my friend, or something like that shit. You, Cas, never came up to me or begged for some autograph or anything. If you have, I would've remembered. Cas, really, you're different, and I've been needing different for a while."

Cas looked at Dean with a yet again blank face, but only because he had to take in the fact that he was actually important to someone, and that he actually meant something.

"You're my different." Dean muttered, looking down in his lap, a blush moving it's way across his freckled face.

After a moment or so, Dean's gaze lifted up to Cas', head still ducked down. Blue eyes caught Dean's and he couldn't help but squeeze his hand once again. And then there was a silence for the third time, and it was more awkward than wanted.

"Thank you..." Cas managed to say, a little smile tugging at just one half of Dean's lips, and the smile was warm, and it had to have been the nicest smile Cas has ever seen.

"I think I'm gonna rest now.." Cas muttered, turning his head away from Dean and letting his eyelids fall closed.

"Sweet dreams, Castiel Novak."

\---

Word of who won the duel got out a day later.

The winner being Crowley, the Crowley that had proof of the kill being an accident.

Crowley arrived back at the Hades Cabin, his fellow campers shying way from him because he had just killed a demigod, and that was something to be scared of. But Crowley was what everyone called the king of Hell, which just meant he was the new counselor of the Hades cabin.

Nothing changed too much in that dark cabin. There were only altered rules and different orders; more attitude, more sass.  
Though, Crowley was slightly less fierce than Abbadon, though he was still a very.. stern leader.

\---

"So, Giganto. Were you in on the whole thing with Abbie's death?" Gabriel asked as the two cleaned their weapons. "Yeah." Sam replied, deadpanned. "Yeah, what? Come on, Sammy. Tell me the goods." Gabe insisted, pressing on what must have been Sam's last nerve, but Sam actually breathed out a laugh.

It was hard to be angry at Gabriel.

"Abbie accidentally reappeared in front of Crowley's sword, and Crowley tried to move away, but the sword pushed into her stomach and.. yeah." Sam explained, Gabe's eyes wide. "Damn." Was all he said.

"There are good and bad things about being an Elite. Good things are automatic updates on things, we get in on secrets, that kind of stuff. Bad things, we have to go on almost every advanced quest. We already lost an Elite from the last quest. It was a risky one."

Sam's face was blank.

He didn't like the memories of the quest.

He didn't like the horrid things he saw.

But Gabe still grinned and said "awesome" oblivious to how bad and how dangerous some of those quests got.

"Shit..!" Gabriel exclaimed as he cut his palm on the sword, deep. It would probably need stitches.

Sam looked over, startled at the sudden curse, then was realizing what happened and scurried for the bandages. Once he got them, he kneeled down in front of Gabe, taking his hand and wrapping the bandage around it.

But even when the bandages were clipped and holding, Sam still had Gabriel's hand in his, eyes raking up to his, looking at him like he was some amazing piece of artwork.

Gabe's lips parted, a sigh leaving him as Sam let go of his hand.

"You should -- you should probably get that checked out at the infirmary." Sam stuttered out, a blush falling over his cheeks.

"Yeah -- yeah, of course."

Good Gods, was what they both thought.

Good Gods because Sam had walked to the infirmary with Gabe.

Good Gods because he had stayed next to his Gabe while he was getting stitched up.

Good Gods because they were so terribly inseparable.

\---

**Two Days & Four Pieces of Ambrosia Later**

"Cas, are you telling me you've never played volleyball?" Dean stared at him like he was crazy. There was a volleyball court right in camp, on the beach, and if Cas had been at this damned camp for five years, how in Hades had he never played volleyba?

"No, I've never played volleyball, Dean." Cas muttered, looking at him blank faced. "You gotta okay volleyball with me. It's perfect outside. Come oooonn." Dean gave him a cocky grin. Cas didn't say anything for a bit, thinking on it, biting his lip in thought.

"Fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Holy shit, okay." Dean beamed, standing out of his chair. "Meet on the beach in thirty minutes?" Dean asked, Cas nodding and sitting up. This was going to be interesting.

**Thirty Minutes Later**

Cas was there first, having taken off his shoes and sat on a large boulder in his swim trunks. He was fairly well built, but when he saw Dean,  _good God_ , that body was unfair.

He had a six pack that made every girl he passed swoon and stare. He had biceps that every man he passed wanted. But for now, it was Dean that was Cas', and no one else.

Cas' eyes were wide as Dean walked closer to him, and then Dean was in front of him, standing there like the way he looked was so normal. "Heya, Cas." Dean grinned at him, green eyes shining amazingly in the sun.

"Hi." Cas managed, and it was small, a squeak almost, but Dean just laughed because it was an adorable little squeak. Without thinking, Dean was taking Cas' hand, bringing him to the where the net was set up.

He let go of Cas' hand, moving and grabbing the volleyball, placing it in Cas' hands. "You gotta stand like this."

And then Dean was putting gentle fingers on Cas' hips, kicking between his feet so he'd spread his legs a bit. Dean stood real close like he did when he had showed Cas how to use his bow. But it was skin on skin now, and Cas couldn't to help but breathe out a sigh and close his eyes for a moment.

"Yeah. Like that. Okay, so you gotta put your hands like this." Dean showed him first, but Cas didn't get it right, so he guided Cas through it. "Just right. Like that. Perfect."

Cas couldn't help but smile at Dean's little praises, Dean's hands so careful on his hips like he was glass, or precious China. "Do y'wanna play, then? One on one?" Dean asked, moving his fingers steadily off of Cas' body. Cas nodded, Dean moving and picking the ball back up, walking over to his side of the net.

"Gonna do a few practice rounds, then we can play a game." Dean gaze a crooked grin over to him, because he knew he'd win.

He was wrong.

Cas was somehow amazing at this game. Maybe it was the fact that he could jump higher than him or something, but he was damn good. Better than Dean could have guessed.

By the time the sun was going down, they were both sweaty, needing of a swim.

Cas had own four of seven games, and the three that he had list were due to Dean being so distracting with his abs and his focused look and his biceps and just  _him_  in general.

" _How, in the name of Zeus, are you so good at volleyball?_ " Dean asked as he sat on a boulder and drank a water bottle that he'd brought. "Lots of things come naturally with me." Cas muttered as if that were normal, sitting beside Dean and taking his own sip of that same water bottle.

Somehow, they didn't mind sharing.

"You're interesting." Dean tutted, a warm smile on his face. Cas turned and looked at him, but Dean was setting the bottle down and hopping off of the boulder. "Wanna swim?" His eyes were wide, full of question, and by now, no one else was on the beach.

"With you?"

"Yeah. With me."

Cas mentally shrugged before he was hopping off of the boulder, too, running out into the water beside Dean, laughing.

The sun was setting so beautifully over the water, rays shaking and moving to the rhythm of the ocean waves.

And they were laughing, splashing water at each other, smiling, swimming, having more fun than both of then have ever had in years.

It was like a dream, and so unreal because there was no way they could have been so happy and free. And as the water splashed and crashed over their shoulders, the sun set fully and the moon rose.

When their laughing faded, they turned to each other and were still smiling like idiots, because in a way, they were.

"Gods.." Dean breathed, looking at Cas with a certain love in his eyes. "What?" Cas asked, unable to stop smiling. "That thing you do with your face.." Dean chuckled softly, licking his lips to rid of their chapped texture. "What?" Cas asked again, titling his head in confusion.

"That." Dean's grin spread across his face slowly, because no, it wasn't just that one thing that Cas did, but it was everything, and it was his personality, and yes, his face, but it was more than that. It was something that went down to his core that was so likeable. But then it was something that only what seemed like Dean could see, and he was lucky for that.

And Dean was stepping closer to him now, Cas' blush getting redder and redder by the second. Dean looked at the child of Apollo like he was the most important thing in the world, his hand lifting up and out of the water to cup Cas' cheek.

His thumb ran over Cas' bottom lip, Cas' eyes closing, his lips parting.

Dean smiled softly as he brought Cas' face towards his, his eyes fluttering closed. Then their lips were touching and moving against each other's, and Zeus be praised, it felt so relieving, so perfect. Cas moved his hands up to Dean's shoulders, Dean moving his own hands onto Cas' waist, the kiss deepening.

The child of Ares pulled his pelvis close so it was against his, and then Cas' arms were moving around Dean's shoulders and hanging loosely around his neck. Dean moved his hands down until they were on Cas' ass, Cas gasping into his lips at the touch. Then Dean was lifting Cas up, Cas wrapping his legs around Dean's waist, the two maybe even laughing a little.

"Dean.." He breathed, a smile on his lips because  _fuck,_ he's wanted this for what must have been forever, even though he didn't know it. Dean ran slow circles with his thumbs on Cas' ass, firm flesh having had to be so smooth, but he couldn't tell because it was hidden under his swim trunks.

"Dean, I can't.." Cas murmured against Dean's lips. "It's okay, Cas, I won't force myself on you." And Cas nodded, letting himself smile a bit at his reassuring words.

" _I just **really**  _ _like you, okay?"_

Cas breathed out a chuckle, not just because of what Dean had said, but because  _Dean WInchester,_ camp womanizer, was kissing him, holding him, doing so many things with him and for him that it was almost too much to handle, and all he could do was laugh a little because it was almost funny, in a romantic sort of way, of how all of this worked out.

Cas didn't reply, though, because he didn't really know how to reply to something like that.

So he let Dean Winchester's confession lay free in the New York air like the stars that shone above them, like the waves that crashed in the sea, and like the sand that lay on the beach, and like the things that were so meant to be, that were there, and that were beautiful. 


	7. Stories

"Alright, alright, everyone on the buses!" Screamed Charlie, the one girl that knew everything there was to know about the  
average human life.

Girls piled into one bus, boys in the other, the yellow vehicle starting up. The bus would be taking them out of camp for the day to shop, though only people fifteen and over could go. The reason that the buses were divided upon gender were because they'd both be going to different locations.

Those locations being shops either for suits or for dresses.

Yes, yes, it's the annual Camp Half - Blood dance before the end of the Summer and (most) kids went back to their families or human lives.

Castiel wasn't able to sit next to Dean because Benny had snatched his seat before he could get to it, leaving him to sit alone a few rows in front of Dean.

An hour passed and Cas was fiddling with his thumbs when the bus stopped. They stumbled out, pushing everyone, laughing, shouting. Because Charlie was guiding the girls through their own shopping, Dean had to take over with the rowdy crowd of boys. There were at least 45, and they had to stop by an ATM to transfer drachmas into American dollars.

Cas had caught up to Dean after getting his $250 (he was the fourth to use the ATM) and stood next to him while waiting for the other demigods to finish their transfers. "Hey, Cas." Dean smiled at him, the child of Ares leaning his shoulder into Cas'. "Hi." Castiel said back, a warm smile on his face.

"They're so loud.." Cas complained, pressing his temple against Dean's shoulder. Dean smiled, holding himself back from wrapping his arm around Cas' waist. "You get used to it." He chuckled, eyes raking over the crowd of demigods. They were in some shit 711, which wasn't nearly as crowded as the streets outside.

After what must have been thirty minutes, Dean gathered everyone up, Cas standing right next to him, but it didn't look suspicious because everyone was in very close quarters already.

"Okay, everybody!" Dean shouted,  
quieting everyone down.

"We have to be back at camp by seven. We're going to one store, and one store only. If you get hungry, that sucks 'cause you gotta wait until we get back to eat. If you gotta pee, there's a bathroom in the store. Are we clear?" Dean's deep voice boomed over the demigods like he was an actual God, everyone nodding at his question.

"Good. Don't hit anyone, either! And do not, I repeat, do not stray away from the  
group!"

They nodded again.

"Okay. You're gonna follow me and Castiel. We're at the front at all times; anyone who walks ahead gets pushed the back. Let's go." And then they were walking out the doors and towards the suit shop that they went to every year. It was actually a high-end store, but most of the suits didn't exceed $350

"Mmk. Go free, young ones." Dean smiled at his little comment, watching everyone slowly spread out in the store.  
Everyone, of course, was renting a suit, so they'd have to take it back, but that was always a trip manned by all of the satyrs.

Cas turned around and stood in front of Dean, looking up at him with blue eyes like stars, Dean looking down at him with a little smirk.

"What?" Dean asked, Cas biting his lower lip, shrugging. After Cas didn't say anything for a while, Dean said something. "Go get a suit, Cas." He playfully pushed him away, watching him walk off before he, too, was looking for one.

**Thirty Minutes Later**

Dean had been sat in a chair outside of the dressing room, already having bought his suit and helped a few guys with theirs, when honestly, he had barely any idea what he was doing.

But when Cas was walking out of the dressing room and standing a few meters in front of Dean in a suit, biting his lip, brow furrowed with worry on what Dean would say, Dean was shifting his legs in his seat, eyes taking over Cas' tuxedo covered body.

"How does it look?" He asked, still worrying.

"G-Great.." Dean stuttered, shifting again in his seat, a smile appearing on his face for a split second before he was looking at him with what must have been love.

"Yeah?" Cas asked for assurance, looking down at his tuxedo then back up to Dean.

"Yeah, Cas.. yeah."

\---

"Okay, I  _HAVE_  to get the perfect dress!" Lisa exclaimed as she shifted loudly through a rack of dresses. "Dean's totally gonna ask me out again this year!" And then she was grabbing what had to be ten dresses and stomping off to the dressing room.

Charlie turned to look at Jo, "You know that Dean has a thing for one of the children of Apollo. He's so over Lisa. He said she was a bitch who manipulated people into whatever she wants, which, yeah, was true." Charlie chatted as she shifted through dresses.

"Really?" Jo asked from one of the chairs. She wouldn't be buying a dress, of course, because she wasn't going to the dance; she was too young. "Totally." Meg chimed in on the talk. "Someone said they saw them kissing at the beach, but they couldn't see who it was other than Dean." Meg added.

She was in the Aphrodite cabin, center of the drama, which had its ups and downs, but the up being that she got all of the rumors before they spread.

"You think it was Anna, the oracle?" They were talking in hushed tones in risk of Lisa hearing. "Maybe, but there was  
no way it was Lisa. She was getting her make up off when it happened."

Charlie picked out a few dresses, then was taking herself into one of the rooms.

Meg ended up buying a tight, spaghetti-strapped dress that was black and ruffled, and went down to her knees. It suited her well, along with the black flats she got.

Jo got something rather plain, but still suited her. It was white, low-dip (but didn't show any breast) and laced long sleeves on top, then an attached navy blue skirt that had a navy blue lace skirt around it, just to make it pop out a bit, the skirt going up to about her belly button and down to her knees. As for her shoes, she had sandal heels.

Charlie got a long, deep red dress, with the same colored heels. And then the dress Lisa had gotten was, to be quite honest, sluttier than anyone else's.

It was strapless, and went barely below her thighs. It was a peach color, all sparkly, a bow wrapped around the middle. It showed as much breast as it could have, and to go along with that, she had peach heels that went along with it.

"Oh my god, Dean's going to  _LOVE_  it!" Lisa exclaimed, checking herself out in the mirror from every angle. Charlie looked at her and rolled her eyes. It made her sad that she was so perfect, and Charlie was just kind of Charlie. "Chandler, whatever your name is, give me those shoes." Lisa ordered as she poofed up her hair in the mirror.

"What?" Charlie turned to her with a raised brow, and Meg and Jo knew something was about to go down.

"You heard me. Get me those shoes; the ones that next to that chair."

Charlie wasn't one to like to be bossed around, and she wasn't even a child of Aphrodite. She was the leader of this mission to the city, yet Lisa was the one bossing everyone around.

She'd had enough.

And she didn't know what happened, but she was suddenly on her, throwing punches and kicks, Meg and Jo hopping up from their seats and pulling the two off of each other.

"Okay, okay!" Meg exclaimed, standing between the two girls, keeping them away from each other. "You need to go check out and then get on the bus." Jo said, Meg nodding and giving Lisa, not Charlie, but only Lisa, a shove.

The two girls parted and checked out, as told, then were going back to the bus, as told.

Silence was in that bus, too, and it wasn't welcome this time.

It was aching, and awkward, and not one person on this Earth likes aching, awkward, silences.

\---

**Three Hours Later**

"C'mere." Dean whispered into Cas' ear, standing from their chair at the mess hall. Cas furrowed his brow in confusion, but still stood and followed him. Once past the mess hall and behind the cabins, Dean was wrapping his arm around Cas' waist, Cas relaxing into the touch because he'd needed it for so long.

"Let's go back to the beach. We don't gotta get in the water or anything -- I just wanna talk to you." Dean smiled down at the boy that had a blush on his cheeks, all flustered, like he loved.

They made their way down the hill and onto the sand, sitting behind a boulder to where no one could see them.

"I'm so tired.." Cas sighed, looking at Dean, yawning, which must have been the most adorable thing Dean's seen in his life. "Then lie down."

"But there's sand."

Dean looked at him with a furrowed brow, but he didn't say anything. Instead, Cas shifted and sat so he could lie down and rest his head in Dean's lap. Dean had his hands up, away from Cas, the Cas who had his eyes closed and looked so terribly peaceful.

Dean's eyes were wide as he slowly moved one of his hands down and carded them through Cas' silky smooth black hair. It was so much softer than he'd thought it be, but Gods, so perfect.

"Can I ask you something?" Castiel asked, keeping his eyes closed.

"Anything."

"What's your story?"

"What?"

"You know.. everyone has a story. What's yours?"

Normally, a demigod would shy away from this question. But normally, they didn't feel so perfectly comfortable with the person asking.

"When I was four, a hydra burnt down my house, taking my mom, Mary, with it. I got put into a foster home, but things didn't go well.. four times. I went across state a lot, but eventually, I was transferred to a whole new state and the second time that happened, it was in New York. I met Sammy when I was thirteen, and we ran off into the woods after a year of being in the same foster home."

"He became a sort of brother to me, and after a while of being on our own, we met  
Jo about three months before we got to camp. I was twelve. She's a lot like my sister now, considering she's five years younger than me and I've known her for half her life."

"So yeah, that's my story."

Cas' eyes opened, Dean's gentle fingers still carding through his hair. He didn't say much at all, but his lips parted and Dean was looking down at him with an emotionless sort of look.

"What about you?" Dean asked after a moment or two.

"Me? I'm boring." Cas chuckled to himself, closing his eyes again, letting himself relax into Dean's soft touches. "That's not true."

"You really wanna know?"

"'Course I do."

"Fine.." He took a moment to think about how to start.

"Well.. my mom, she uh.. she died when I was five. I remember her getting stabbed, and all of the blood, but I don't know what happened after that, really. I got put into foster homes, bounced around a lot, but I was smart. I got real  
bad when I was thirteen and fourteen during the school years. Nobody liked me, knew me, talked to me."

He could feel Dean's gaze on his, but he didn't stop his speaking.

"And I would come here for the summers, like normal demigods did, but it got so bad that I started to stay here full time. Still, no one talked to me, or knew me, really, but still, everyone bullied me in one way shape or form. Lucifer was the first to do it, and it wasn't just him for a while, but some of them stopped one day and I don't know why."

He knew just what he was going to say next, and he hoped to God he didn't mess it up.

"And then you picked me up after a beat down from Lucas and I guess the dark skies gradually cleared and I got so much more happy and I couldn't be more grateful for having you here with me."

Dean's lips pursed, green eyes down at Castiel's blue eyes, seeming to be glued to them, almost.

"Cas.." Dean breathed, not knowing what to say.

So he just hooked his arm under Cas' neck and brought him up until they were kissing for the second, still so perfect time.

"Don't ever think you're a bad person. Don't ever think you're pathetic, or useless, or unimportant, because  
you're important to me. So important to me, Cas." Dean breathed against his lips, Cas having placed his arms around Dean's neck.

"Thank you." Cas muttered, kissing him again before he nuzzled his nose in Dean's neck and let himself be still.

Dean smiled softly, closing his eyes, letting Cas hug him and hold him.

"So perfectly different, Castiel Novak. My perfectly different." He murmured softly, still continuing to run steady fingers through Cas' hair.

After a while of just sitting like that, all wrapped up in each other's arms, Cas moved so he was sitting between Dean's legs, back against chest, Dean's chin on top his head.

"You said everyone has a story." Dean said all the sudden, wrapping his arms under Cas' and around his torso. "Yeah?" Cas asked, closing his eyes. "I dunno, I just really like that."

"Well, to be honest, I really like you, so I guess I like everything you say." Dean mused, a soft smile on his face. "So.." Cas paused, seeming to be about to say something else, but he didn't.

"What?" Dean asked, furrowing his brow. "Nothing." Cas sighed, getting used to the feeling of being wrapped in his arms; a feeling he felt that he'd feel many more times after this.  **"If we all were truly stories, then this chapter is my favorite, and every chapter that has you on each page."**

Dean smiled, closing his eyes, letting the gentle crashing over waves soothe himself, letting his body go lax in the warm, Summer night air.

"Can I join the  _Elites?"_ Cas asked all of the sudden, Dean raising a brow, though eyes still closed. "You want to join the  _Elites?_ Take the test and stuff?" Dean talked to Cas like he was so utterly surprised, which he really was. "Yeah, I wanna join the  _Elites."_

"I'll get the tests set up. You wanna do it on the weekend, a couple days after the dance?" Dean asked, knowing that the dance would probably last all night, and no one would want to take a highly-advanced physical, and mental, test after such a long night. "Sure." Cas smiled, putting his hands on Dean's forearm, closing his eyes again. "Okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Cas. You'll do awesome." Dean smiled, then was pressing a kiss on the top of Cas' head, nuzzling his nose into the silky smooth black hair. "Doesn't the counselor of a cabin get their own room?" Castiel asked after a few moments. He knew the counselor got a larger space, or at least at the back of the cabin, but he never really paid any attention to that kind of thing. "Yeah. I got my own room in the back. It's not big or anything. It's got a bigger bed than the bunks, somewhere in between a twin and a queen. Then I got my own shower, that way I can get up and wash off before everyone else, then wake everyone up."

"There's a door in the back of the cabin that leads into any of the counselor rooms, but it's locked from the inside, as you'd expect." Dean explained, finishing up everything about the counselor rooms. The counselors were a bit more respected now, and if they were gonna be counselor, they thought it would be nice to have more than a badge with your name on it (which, really, no one ever used).

"Damn."

"But speaking of cabins, I have to head back to mine." Dean actually frowned, because he didn't want to let go of Cas, but if he didn't get back and make sure everyone was asleep, they'd be up all night. Cas nodded, letting go of Dean's arms so he could move and stand. Dean held his hand out for Cas, which Cas took, standing himself up right in front of Dean, free hand on his chest.

Cas bit down on his lip before he was kissing Dean once more, before the night ended, and before they parted ways to each others cabins.

Raphael was okay that night, and didn't boss too many people around, or at least, not as many as he had the day before.

So, Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester were both  _definitely_ happy.

\---

"Holy shit, holy shit,  _holy **shit!"**_ It was a girl.

Oh God, it was Hester, the girl who  _had_ to be the second most annoying girl in camp aside from Lisa. 

And this bitch Hester just saw Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak.

Together.

Kissing.

Tomorrow was  _not_ going to be fun for either of them.


	8. Fixes

Sam looked up at Gabe from his marshmallow, the fire crackling louder than the average campfire.

"Gabe?" Sam asked nervously, Gabe looking up at him. "What?" He asked over the roar of demigods singing songs. "Do you uh.." Sam paused, Gabriel making a 'go on' sort of face at him, making Sam continue; "Do you wanna go to the dance with me?"

"What?"

"I said, do you wanna go to the dance with me?"

"What? I can't hear you! They're singing too loud!" They had chosen to stand way in the back for that very reason; and plus, it was way less crowded, but it was still beyond loud.

Then Sam was leaning in near Gabriel's ear, lips almost touching his ear, before he said, "Do you want. To go. To the goddamn. Dance with me?" Sam's voice was low, and Gabe's eyes were widened at his unexpected words. "What?" He said again, but this time, not because he couldn't hear him, but because he had just been asked to a dance by Sam Campbell.

And Sam was getting nervous, because now he was thinking that maybe Gabriel wasn't gay or bisexual, and he had messed everything up, and he was getting too nervous, maybe even sweating, he couldn't tell, and maybe he --

"Okay."

"What?"

"Yes, I'll go to the dance with you, Samantha." Gabriel smirked at his last comment, leaning in and hugging Sam, Sam smiling into his shoulder.

"Really?"

"Yes, Sam, I'll go to the dance with you."

\---

**Day After The Beach**

The rumors spread like wildfire.

There was the constant whisper of Dean Winchester being gay, or a fag, and technically, it was true, but he swung both ways, girls and guys, not one or the other.

Which, of course, not a single soul was smart enough to think of.

And as for Cas, due to his already low reputation, Lucifer went back to angering him, though the beatings stopped. He just was constantly on his ass, teasing him about how much of a faggot he was, and he how liked dick, and every insult a homphobic piece of shit could give to a homosexual.

Dean had it easy, though.

He could tell people to back off, and they would. Or he could say 'so what, I like dudes?' and they wouldn't bat an eye. Because he was Dean Winchester, the famous Dean Winchester, that had his own reputation to keep up, a reputation he managed to rest at the same, steady level he had been on before.

And Dean knew Cas must have been hurting, because he wasn't exactly the most rewnowned person in the camp. And he felt bad for it, because now Dean was thinking it was his fault, somehow, that he liked Cas, but he wasn't some guy you could just let go.

He was some guy you kept, and you loved, and you needed.

And no one understood that.

No one but Dean, and in a way, he felt like that made him special, but then, in a way, that made him feel so sad, because no one else was seeing how perfect Cas was, or how truly amazing he was, and that was enough to make Dean Winchester, of all people, sad.

And because of people following Dean around non-stop, he couldn't catch a break to go see Cas, which bummed him out, too.

And Dean, somewhere in the back of his thick skull, knew that the person that had started the rumors was, of course, a child of Aphrodite, because that's the cabin that  _always_ starts the rumors. But he had a feeling it was Hester, maybe, or Lisa that began it all. Well, maybe not Lisa, because everyone knew that Lisa thought Dean had his heart set on her, which is total bullshit.

And Meg, Charlie, Jo, Sam, and the rest of the girls and gals that were on Dean's side were desperatly trying to stop the rumors, and tell as many people as possible that Hester was just a lying bitch, which worked (most of the time). Dean had thanked them, but rumors plus Aphrodite cabin equals forever, and in this case, forever is not what Dean or Cas needed.

Not one single, teensy weensy, little itsy bitsy, bit.

**Four Days Before The Dance**

It was three AM.

It was three AM and Castiel Novak was panting in his sleep, groaning out silent 'no's' and breathless 'stop's'. He tossed, and turned, and tossed again, before he was jolting awake, boxer and t-shirt covered body so terribly cold, even though it was a good seventy-five degrees in the Apollo cabin. He leaned over and checked the time, rubbing his eyes to get a better look, shoulders slumping in realization, that  _fuck,_ it was 3:04 AM.

He was still a little sweaty when he shifted and left his bed, a random AC/DC shirt that he had bought on sale from the Camp Half Blood Store that went down to his thighs, almost past his boxers, being his only protection from the wind of the outdoors. He didn't know what he was doing, really, and somehow, he felt like he was sleep walking, but he wasn't; he was fully conscious, and knew somewhat where he was going, so there was no way he was sleep walking.

He walked up to the back of the Ares cabin, wrapping his hand around the handle to see if it was open.

It was.

_Victory._

In a way, he felt like he must seem so creepy doing this, but in another way, he felt like he should, and he didn't know any other way, really, to get him to fall asleep.

But the instant he opened the door, Dean was jolting up, aiming a dagger, but not throwing it, at Cas.

"I couldn't sleep.." Cas muttered softly, not even flinching from Dean's excitement.

"Cas.." Dean breathed in realization that through the darkness of his room, it was the child of Apollo, so perfect and was there, standing in his room, probably wanting to get into bed with him in the most innocent of way.

"Cas, c'mere.." Dean opened his arms for him, eyes hooded, obviously, clearly, immensely tired from just waking up. Cas turned around first and shut the door (locking it this time) before he was climbing into bed with Dean, the son of Ares wrapping Cas in his arms so he was facing him, Cas' head in front of Dean's upper torso and neck, but not resting on it.

Dean's nose was buring in the front of Cas' tousled, sleepy mess of hair, breathing in the scent.

"Go to sleep, Cas.."

There was a soft hum of music from the corner of Dean's room -- something Cas expected to be some kind of sleep playlist on Dean's iPod or radio.

As of now, it was playing Fix You by Coldplay

"I don't want it to get me again, Dean.. I don't want them to make fun of me anymore.."

And Dean knew what half of his babbling meant, something about his dream, and something about what had happened over the course of the previous week, after the beach.

_When you try your best but you don't succeed_   
_When you get what you want but not what you need_   
_When you feel so tired but you can't sleep_   
_Stuck in reverse_

"I won't let it get to you again, Cas, I'm right here."

"But it's gonna get me again, and it was so scary, I can't --" And then Dean was realizing he was hiccuping, crying, actually, and that dream he had must have been just horrid.

"Cas, I'll protect you, it's okay. I won't let anything happen to you, Cas. I won't let anyone hurt you. Please, baby, go to sleep, calm down.. I hate seeing you like this.."

_And the tears come streaming down your face_   
_When you lose something you can't replace_   
_When you love someone but it goes to waste_   
_Could it be worse_

And Cas was clutching to the sheets, Dean tightening his arms around Cas' body, "ssshhh, Cas, ssshh... It's okay, Cas, you're okay, I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you, it's okay.."

"Dean --  _hiccup_ \-- I can't  _\-- hiccup --_ forget what it looked like.. It was so terrible.. I want to forget, but I can't, make me forget, please.." Cas begged, and he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that what he was saying was nonsense, and Dean obviously couldn't do anything about it. So he settled for rubbing Cas' back reassuringly, whispering the same sweet nothings to him.

_Lights will guide you home_   
_And ignite your bones_   
_And I will try_   
_to fix you_

And Cas was clutching Dean's bicep for dear life, crying against Dean's chest, nothing working. Dean pressed a kiss onto his head, humming along to the music.

_And high up above or down below_   
_When you're too in love to let it go_   
_But if you never try_   
_you'll never know_   
_just what you were_

"Shhh..." He'd breathe between verses, and before he knew it, he was settling for just singing it softly to Cas, as softly as he could go to make it sound as much like a lullaby as it could.

"Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try, to fix you.."

The guitar started to play, Cas' cries too soft to be heard over the music, but his tears were still soaking the sheets, and he hated himself for it, because he didn't want to ruin Dean's bed, but he couldn't help it.

"Tears stream, down your face, when you lose somethin' you cannot replace... tears stream, down your face, and I... tears stream, down your face, I promise you I will learn from my mistakes.. tears steam, down your face, and I..."

Cas was almost stopping his crying now, but he was still panting a little bit, gasping for air, and Dean thought this might be a panic attack, too, but you never know with demigods.

"Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try... to fix you."

"Breathe, Cas, breathe, c'mon.." Dean said after the song ended, changing to some song he didn't know the lyrics to. Cas' grip on his bicep loosened, his breathing steadying as much as it possibly could, Dean looking down at him in the darkness of his small little room, fingertips running so easily over Cas' back.

"It's okay... calm down, Cas, it's okay.." Dean hushed, pulling him in closer, as close as can be, another kiss being placed on top of Cas' head.

"I'm sorry.. I should go back to my cabin.." Cas moved to get out of the bed, but Dean was just pulling him back, shaking his head. "Stay. I want you here." Cas looked down at him from where he was -- sitting up, now -- and sighing, giving it a moment. "..Please?"

So Cas was moving back down, lying his head on Dean's collarbone, Dean putting his arm around him, letting his head fall back onto the pillow.

Neither of them said anything else.

They both fell asleep, drifting away into unconsciousness like the sea.

\---

**7:00 AM**

Cas shifted on top of Dean, sleepily smacking his lips, eyes still closed, limbs all tangled with Dean's.

When he opened his eyes, for a moment, he didn't know where he was, but when he looked up and saw Dean's sleeping face, he smiled.

Then frowned.

Because he was remembering the reason why he was there, but he didn't get too far into thinking before Dean was blinking open his eyes and looking down at him.

"Hey, Cas.." He mumbled sleepily, pulling Cas up for comfort, a warm smile on his face. "Hi.." Cas said shyly, letting his limbs continue to splay across Dean's muscled body. "Are you okay? You -- you were pretty bad last night.." Dean gave Cas a worried look, underturning his brow down at him in question, to which Cas answered with, "generally, yeah," which didn't give Dean much reassurance.

"Cas, I don't know exactly what happened last night, but if it ever happens again, I'm always here. You can come here any time, even if -- even if you don't need me." Dean ran his fingertips and nails along Cas' arms, Cas nodding after he finished his statement.  **"I wont let anything happen to you, Cas. I swear on the River Styx."**

"Thank you.." Cas muttered softly, letting his eyes close again.

"I gotta shower and wake everyone up." Dean sighed, not wanting to move away from his hold around Cas', but knew he had to sooner or later. "Mmmfine.." Cas mumbled sleepily, rolling over off of the child of Ares and onto his side. Dean moved and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked open a bit for the steam to be let out.

And when Cas peeked his eys open to look if Dean had already walked into the bathroom, he saw that he was undressing, to which point he could very clearly see Dean's ass. And Dean could feel eyes on him, but he didn't mind, because he knew it was Cas. That made him smirk as he stepped into the shower, warm water beginning to cover his body.

In the meantime, Cas was pulling on what was a much too large Led Zeppeling T-shirt and pants that fit him generally well. By the time the shower was squeaking off, Cas was pulling on his shoes, Dean walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his lower half. Cas looked at him for a second -- straight in the eyes -- before he directed his gaze back down to his shoelaces.

And the instant he thought it'd be okay too look up, Cas was seeing Dean's full, entire, naked front, blue eyes suddenly widening, Dean's eyes raking up to Cas' like it was nothing. "See something you like?" Dean chuckled to himself as he pulled on a pair of boxers, Cas not saying anything, and standing, heading towards the door as if he weren't welcome.

But Dean was grabbing him by the forearm and pulling him back, free hand pressing against the small of Castiel's back, pushing him as close as possible. Dean pressed a smiling kiss onto Cas' lips, Cas falling under his spell and kissing back. Dean bit playfully at Cas' upper lip, Cas' free hand coming up and resting on Dean's bicep.

"Keep holdin' my bicep and you'll leave a print." Dean grinned against his lips, Cas chuckling softly, letting his hand stay there. "A mark that tells everyone you're mine."

**"So I'm yours now, then?"**

**"I guess you are."**

**"Okay, angel."**

**"Does that make me yours?"**

**"Yeah, I guess it does."**

**"Then I guess I'm yours, and you're mine."**


	9. Be Still

The rumors died down quickly, which only meant, they weren't rumors anymore.

But due to so much going on with final tests on Greek language, or physical tests, Dean never had time to talk to Cas after that morning in the back of the Ares cabin. Though, with so much time on his hands, he did get to thinking -- thinking about Cas.

Cas was this being that somehow, once you know him, once you  _really_ know him and appreciate him, he's always in your mind, stuck there, and Dean Winchester could not be more proud of that, because he had taken the time to get to know Cas, and that made him rather happy. More than happy, really. And they didn't say it, but they both knew that something bigger was going on between them.

It wasn't just two guys occasionally making out.

No. No, God no.

Dean came to know that it was about him, and Cas, and how if he hadn't found Cas beaten bloody that day, there was no way he would've ever met him. And just that thought alone nearly made Dean shiver, because Cas was this beacon in his life now that he needed and that guided him towards waking up each morning.

It was the same for Cas, though, and worse, really.

He truly had it rough before he met Dean Winchester, with the beatings, and the depression, and anxiety, and panic attacks. Like he said; he had gotten into a real bad place before he met Dean, and he could not be more happy than he was now.

So, really, what was going on between them was a need for each other. Not a want, but a need.

\---

The dance was held in the Big House.

Before seven thirty, make-upped girls and suited boys were walking through the doors, hand in hand with their date, all smiles and laughs. That is, aside from Lisa, who was waiting outside the doors of the Big House, waiting for who she still thought would be Dean to pick her up.

But Dean just brushed past her, in his suit and tie, nobody in his hand, nobody to wrap his waist around, and may or may not have shot a wink at her, to which she scoffed and watched him walk inside, waiting a few moments before she was running in.

Cas stood against the wall, a red cup full of punch in his hand, not taking a sip. He was away from the mess of people that were dancing and singing to some shit songs by Nicki Minaj.  _No one has good taste in music anymore,_ he thought to himself, sighing. He let his eyes drop to the floor, the hundred demigods around him roaring against the music, laughing, dancing, and then there was Cas.

The Cas that stood there like the nobody he was, and the Cas that stood there like the nobody he always will be.

But, he wasn't a nobody to one person.

And that one person had just caught his gaze from across the room, and Cas tried his best to keep his eyes down, but he just couldn't with the feeling of such green eyes coming closer and closer. Cas' eyes locked onto Dean's, and he couldn't help but gasp at the sight of him in a suit, all dressed up and amazing.

Dean smiled at Cas once he got to him, Cas looking up at him with worried, puppy-dog eyes. "What?" Dean asked, warm smile ridden on his lips. Cas shook his head, letting it drop while doing so. Dean tried to follow Cas' gaze, but didn't manage, so he placed his thumb and his index finger on Cas' chin, lifting his head up and bringing his lips to his.

He didn't care if anyone was watching.

He didn't care if he could hear Lisa very literally scream.

He didn't care if there were people gasping around him, because all he wanted to do was be next to Cas, and so he did just that.

The demigods quickly got used to what was now a new pairing, or, as some of the Aphrodite kids called an  _OTP._

"I missed you, Cas.." Dean breathed, putting his hands on Cas' hips, pressing him lightly up against the wall. "I missed you, too, Dean." Cas confessed, staring up into Dean's eyes, a sigh escaping his lips. Dean's eyes looked up to the speakers, then back down to Cas', then his head was making a 'c'mon' motion towards the more center parts of the room.

"Don't you wanna dance, Cas? C'mon, have a little fun. Live a little." Dean smiled, taking Cas by the hand and pulling him out into the crowd of demigods.

 _Anna Sun_ by  _WALK THE MOON_ blasted through the speakers, demigods dancing, having a good time, even Cas, who didn't expect one bit that Dean would actually, basically, take him to the dance. A circle actually cleared for some demigods to show off what were pretty good dance skills, most of those being boys, but the occasional girl would 'woo' all of the watching eyes.

That was, until, there was a slow song.

The slow song being  _Be Still_ by  _The Killers.  
_

Dean looked down at Cas, warm smile on his face as he took Cas' hand in one of his own, wrapping his arm around Cas' waist, Cas pressed up against Dean's body, slowly beginning to move the steps to the dance. And really, they couldn't have been more peaceful like that; hand in hand, chest against chest, Cas' eyes closed, nose buried in Dean's neck.

_Be still_   
_And go on to bed_   
_Nobody knows what lies ahead_   
_And life is short_   
_To say the least_   
_We're in the belly of the beast_

"I can't quite find the words that describe how amazing you are, Castiel Novak." Dean muttered softly, warm smile felt against Dean's neck. "It's like you're my whole life, and I don't know why, or how, but you're more important to me than almost anyone in my life, and I've only known you for three months.." Dean confessed, Cas nodding in his neck.

_Be still_   
_Wild and young_   
_Long may your innocence reign_   
_Like shells on the shore_   
_And may your limits be unknown_   
_And may your efforts be your own_   
_If you ever feel you can't take it anymore_

"You're like a magnet, and I'm metal, 'cause I'm so drawn to you." Dean chuckled softly, Cas continuing to not say anything. It may have been the fact that he was just so humble, and relaxed at that very moment that he truly, had nothing to say.Or, quite possibly, he had so much to say that if he opened his mouth, it would all spill out, all at once.

 _Don't break character_  
You've got a lot of heart  
Is this real or just a dream?  
Rise up like the sun  
Labor till the work is done

"I've never really been in a serious relationship with a guy before. I'm lucky it's you." Dean confessed, letting Cas not talk, letting himself do the spilling while Cas listened.

_Be still_   
_One day you'll leave_   
_Fearlessness on your sleeve_   
_When you've come back, tell me what did you see_   
_What did you see_   
_Was there something out there for me?_

"I like you.. in a romantical kind of way." Cas finally said, Dean chuckling down at him. "Did you just quote Parks and Recs to me?" Dean asked, a warm smile on his face. "Maybe." Dean breathed out a laugh, letting himself get perfectly used to the feeling of having Cas in his arms.

 _Be still_  
Close your eyes  
Soon enough you'll be on your own  
Steady and straight  
And if they drag you through the mud  
It doesn't change what's in your blood  
(Over chains)  
When they knock you down

"But it's true." Cas insisted, Dean nodding. "Then I like you, too, in an also romantical kind of way."

After the chorus played for the second time over, the next song wasn't as slow, and Dean was checking his watch.  _9:43._

"C'mere." Dean grinned, wrapping his arm around Cas' waist and taking him outside, out of the Big House, heading off somewhere; it was too dark for Cas to see where they were going, but Dean seemed to know by memory. "Where are we going?" Cas asked, Dean looking down at him and saying, "somewhere special" like that summed it all up.

They went all the way past the strawberry fields and into the forest before they came to a clearing.

There was something just sort of sitting there, near the edge of the clearing, covered up with a large camoflauge netting that Dean walked over and threw off. It revealed what was a '67 Chevy Impala, Cas' eyes widened at the shining black car in awe. "Isn't she a beauty?" Dean said with a proud grin, taking Cas and having him sit in the passengers seat while he moved and sat in the driver's seat.

"Haven't driven this since the last quest I went on." Dean smirked, looking over at Cas and showing off his pearly whites. "Why'd you take me here?" "It's so much quieter, don't you think?" Cas nodded, looking over at Dean, nervous, thinking of what could happen next. "Is it bad to say that I just really want you?" Dean asked hesitantly, looking over at Cas with what was also the second nervous glare.

"Dean.." Cas started, lips still parted, but Dean interupted.

"I need you, Cas. Let me -- let me touch you." He inched towards him, cupping Cas' cheek, blue eyes fluttering closed. "Dean.. Dean, touch me, kiss me, please." Cas moaned out, Dean nodding and leaning forward, placing a kiss onto Cas' plump lips. Dean moved his hands and slowly slid his jacket off, Cas taking his off, too, all little smiles and breathy chuckles against lips because they were doing this, they were actually doing this.

Cas fumbled with Dean's belt, pulling it off and throwing it somewhere on the floor of the Impala. And once belts and shirts were off, Dean was pulling Cas into the backseat of the car, letting Cas half-lean up against the door, Dean crawled on top of him. The son of Ares dipped down, Cas' lips parting to let Dean's tongue slip through his lips, Dean gladly obliging to Cas' silent request.

"God, you're amazing." Dean praised as he slipped Cas' pants off, and then was taking his own, Dean's lips pressing kisses down Cas' torso, down, and then up again.

But Dean sighed, not pleasurably, but in embarrassment, because he didn't have any lube. It's not like he kept any in the car; like he said, he'd never really been in a relationship with a guy before, let alone taken him to the Impala and had sex with him.

"Cas.. I don't have any lube." Dean said with a sigh, letting his head fall against Cas' chest, but Cas was lifting his hand up and carding it through Dean's hair reassuringly. But Cas was still letting his hands roam down to the hem of Dean's boxers, pulling them down, Dean looking up at Cas after he kicked off the rest of the fabric.

Dean got the memo of what Cas was exactly going to do in replacement of lube, lying himself down, letting Cas crawl between his legs and also very gladly letting Cas stroke him until he was fully erect. And if that was heavenly, Dean had no idea what to call the feeling that he got as Cas licked a line up Dean's cock, pretty blue eyes hooded, but somehow, still innocent.

He'd never done this before; sucked a dick, let alone had sex, so Dean would have to be real careful with him, but he had a feeling Dean already knew that. "Oh, fuck, Cas.." Dean breathed as he continued to move his tongue around his dick, getting it all slicked up in the first layer of spit before his pretty pink lips were wrapping around the head and falling down to the base.

"Holy shit, Cas, you got the best mouth I've ever felt.." Dean moaned, letting his hand run up and card through Cas' touseled black hair, which he managed to somehow tousle it even more, if that was even possible. Cas bobbed his head, unaware of the limits he had during this kind of thing, so he let Dean guide his head carefully along his length, eyes closed, letting Dean take control.

"You ever sucked dick before, Cas?" Dean asked between moans and pants, Cas' eyes raking up to Dean's, who had thrown his head back at the gaze, because fuck, just seeing him like that, ass in the air, sucking his cock was almost too much. But Cas somehow managed to send him a 'no' signal with just his blue eyes. "God, how are you so good at this, then? Fuck.. I'm gonna come soon.." _  
_

And he did just that; white liquid spurting out into Castiel's throat. There was so much of it -- so much more than Dean normally had because to be honest, he hadn't had sex in a while, and there was so much that it was spilling down Cas' chin and onto his neck. "Holy shit, you're perfect Cas, you're perfect.." Dean mused, looking at Cas' cum-covered face with wide eyes.

Cas moved back to where he was originally, this time after taking off his boxers, and after Dean crawled between his legs.

"Gonna need you to suck on my fingers, Cas.." Dean breathed, Cas taking Dean's wrist into his hand and guiding the three fingers that were out into his mouth, sucking them, lathering them in as much spit to replace the lube as possible. "Holy mother of sin." Dean moaned at the feeling of his fingers being sucked by such a skillful, yet not-so-virgin mouth. But Dean's moment of glory was over when he had to take his fingers out and guide them to Cas' hole.

Cas had his legs spread open, wrapped around Dean's waist, as Dean asked if he could move on. Cas nodded, and Dean slowly pushed the first finger in, keeping his eyes on Cas' to watch if he was going too fast or not. "Dean.." He breathed, more pain than pleasure in his voice. So Dean leaned down over him and pressed a kiss onto Cas' lips, easing what was now his finger pushing all the way in.

"It's okay, baby, I'll make you feel real good soon.. real good.." Dean assured, Cas nodding, pressing his forehead against Dean's. Dean wiggled his finger inside of Cas, stretching him as much as he could before Cas was telling him he was ready for the second finger.

With the second finger completely in a minute later, Cas was still biting hard down onto his lip, 'cause the burn was just too much.

That was, until, Dean was pressing one of two scissoring fingers against Cas' special bundle of nerves and the son of Apollo was arching his back, moaning out, and  _holy fuck,_ if that wasn't the most beauitiful thing Dean has ever seen. "Next finger.." Cas breathed out, Dean nodding and pushing the third, and last finger slowly inside of Cas. But this time, Dean didn't manage to reach Cas' prostate, so it was more pain than pleasure, once again. "You good?" Dean asked, pressing a kiss onto Cas' collarbone.

"Give it a little.." He said back, squeezing his eyes shut. And after giving it a little, Dean was pulling his fingers out of Cas, Cas giving a nod of approval for Dean to position himself and slowly push in.

"Dean, I can't -- It's too big.." Cas cried out, tears filling the corners of his eyes, wriggling uncomfortably under Dean, who was desperately trying to calm Cas down by placing soft little kisses along his jawline, eventually reaching his lips once again. "Cas, I promise, I won't ever hurt you.. relax, you gotta relax.." Dean stated against his lips, feeling Cas' panting breaths begin.

Dean pushed a little more in, Cas tensing up again, and it was too big, and it wasn't going to work, and they needed more lube, but Cas wanted to feel good, and he knew he could so he gave it time.

So, three minutes later and Dean was all the way in, Cas telling him it was okay to start to thrust. So, Dean did as Cas said, and slowly, ever so slowly, began to pull out until he was almost all the out, then pushing back in, Cas throwing his head back, Dean still leaned down over him, letting his lips fall onto Cas' Adam's apple. And Dean's lower abdomen was already rubbing up against Cas' dick, so there was more pleasure added to the mix.

And another minute later, Cas was tightening his legs around Dean's torso, eyes shooting open, because Dean hit that spot again.

"Harder.. Dean, faster.." Cas breathed, Dean looking up at him and smirking, doing just that, taking Cas harder, taking Cas faster. "Gods, you're perfect, you're just beautiful." Dean praised as he sped his thrusts dramatically, hitting Cas' prostate with expertise, Cas' moans getting louder and more explicit.

"Fuck, make love to me, Gods, need you faster, need you, please," he begged, Dean picking up the pace even more with a bit of a growl.

So when Dean had hit Cas' prostate dozens of times over, Cas was coming all over his and Dean's chest, loud moans muffled by Dean's lips locking onto Cas', the child of Apollo's eyes shut tight as Dean pushed Cas through his orgasm.

And then Dean was pulling out and coming all over Cas' chest, too, adding to the mix of cum that was already on his torso, Cas' eyes closed, head thrown back as he just let Dean do what he wanted.

"Gods.. that was amazing.." Dean chuckled softly, Cas nodding, unable to speak, barely even able to breathe, because wow. Dean motherfucking Winchester just took his virginity. "Do you have to leave camp after Summer?"

"No, I don't have any school. I'm eighteen, Cas." Dean smiled warmly, burying his face in Cas' neck, still sheathed inside of Cas. "Good." Cas smiled, too. "Come to my cabin with me tonight?" Dean asked, Cas nodding.

\---

They had put their clothes back on (barely, because they didn't even buckle their belts or button their shirts all the way up, and their ties were completely messed up, but who in the name of Hades cared?) cleaned Cas up, and walked back to Dean's part of the Ares cabin, only to take off their clothes again and climb into bed with each other, Dean wrapping Cas in his arms.

Because most wouldn't be at camp until next Summer, there weren't any schedules, so they were basically free to do anything.

But Dean still had all of his friends from the _Elites,_ who would train each and every day.

And most people were gone by the end of the night the next day, Dean and Cas having spent a lazy day and just cuddled, watching TV, listening to music, taking random pictures of each other, or just being wrapped in each other's arms.

So, I suppose you could say Dean Winchester was truly happy.

And I suppose you could say Castiel Novak was truly happy.

And I suppose you could say this one true pairing was truly happy, because their needs of each other were fulfilled and they didn't have to worry about bullies, or monsters, or stupid drama-queens for once.

It was ever so amazing how one single magnificent lazy day with each other could be equivilant to what must have been one hundred good days without each other, because even though those days were good, they weren't the same, and they didn't have each other, which made it oh so different.

 


	10. Mind Games

Dean looked down at Cas, who had fallen asleep under his arm again.  _You're gonna have to stop doing that once next Summer comes around,_ he though to himself, but it wasn't next Summer yet, so Hell if he cared. The seventeen year-old shifted on top of Dean, clearly waking up.

"Morning, sunshine." Dean smiled down at him, blue eyes fluttering up to meet his, and Gods, if that wasn't the most amazing thing he's ever seen. A warm smile spread across Dean's face, and Cas was yawning, Dean's fingertips moving along Cas' arms.

"Your test is today." Dean's voice was soft,  
smooth, slow, making shivers get sent down Cas' spine. "Oh yeah.. I forgot.." Cas sighed, letting his fingers curl against Dean's chest lazily. "What day is it?" Castiel asked suddenly, randomly.

"Sunday."

"I like Sundays."

"Why?"

"I don't know.. they're lazy days, don't you think? Nothing really happens on Sunday's; they're just real slow days." Cas explained, and Dean never really cared about Sundays until now, and he'd never thought about it until Cas had said that.

So he nodded.

And somehow, he liked Sundays all of the sudden.

"C'mon.. you gotta go take your test. But.. you do know that you have to fight me, right?"

"What?"

"You have to beat me in a duel. I'm not aloud to go easy -- they know if I'm goin' easy, Cas.."

Cas sighed.

This meant he'd probably have to knock Dean out, but he didn't want to hurt him that bad. Yeah, he'd grazed him, or jutted him in the side with his elbow, and he knew he had an amazing amount of stamina, so he would have to really hurt him.

"I don't want to hurt you.."

"Cas, you have to.." Dean stated unhappily, continuing soft movements down his arms. "It's gonna be fine, Cas. I'm not going to be angry, just a little bruised up s'all. I promise, everything's gonna be alright." Dean said smoothly, again, and Cas leant up, kissing him, slow and easy, smooth like his voice.

"I swear." Dean said again when he pulled away, holding Cas' arm loosely. "You're gonna do great. Just great." Dean smiled, and then was continuing. "Good news is; 'cause it's Summer, you don't gotta do the hydra test." Dean gave a sunny grin down to him, like the fact that Cas didn't have to take down a whole hydra made up for it.

Cas just chuckled and shook his head, then was letting it fall back down to Dean's collarbone, Dean's hand coming up and resting in Cas' hair.

"Cas, you gotta get up.."

"Whyyy?" He asked with a sigh through a smile. "'Cause I need food." He stated simply, and Cas was scoffing, but still sitting up, feet touching the wooden cabin floor, toes curling up, back and shoulders relaxing. Dean rolled over, coming closer to him, and then was pressing hot kisses up and down his spine, on the back of his neck, on his shoulders.

"Gods.." Cas breathed out, fingers curling into the sheets. "You're too good for me, Cas.." Dean added, between kisses, teeth grazing over Cas' skin lightly, lovingly. After another moment, Dean was letting his chin rest on Cas' shoulder, biting playfully at the back of his ear. "I'm gonna go shower." Cas stood, letting his hands slowly fall out of Dean's on his way up.

He showered, like he said he would, then brushed his teeth, and got dressed, climbing back into bed with Dean afterwards.

"The first test is in the Big House." Dean stated with a sigh. "It's the fears one. Top three."

The Elites weren't just something you could say, and you could be in, and this was definitely a reason why. As demigods, fears are either small, or your greatest fear, and absolutely no in between.

So Dean brought him to the Big House after showering and getting dressed, too, Cas' hand gripped tight around Dean's in nervousness. He brought Cas into one of the smaller rooms upstairs, a child of Hypnos already there to tend to Cas' first test.

Cas was sat down in a chair, hand slung over the armrest and holding Dean's once again.

"I'm going to press two fingers to your forehead, and your rest will begin. Breathe, relax, and tell me when you're ready." The girl said, and Cas let his eyes close, breathing out, and then sucking back in. "You're gonna do great, Cas." Dean assured from beside him, in another armchair, and then Cas was nodding.

"I'm ready." He stated firmly, eyes still closed, and the child of Hypnos pressed two fingers against his forehead, and his whole body went lax.

\---

Oh Gods.

He looked around, from where he was crouched, blue eyes wide. He was on a 20 foot long wooden plank that was in no way shape or form sturdy enough to hold from where it was placed between two buildings.

From where he was -- the middle -- he could get a great view of the ground below, and it made him sick to his stomach.

It wasn't the heights he was scared of, no, not at all, but the chance of falling.

That's what he was scared of.

Falling.

So he stood there, the wooden plank shaking just barely, but he felt it, and no matter how balanced he was, or how balanced he could be, the fact that falling was a possibility made him suck in a breathe.

 _Okay, I can do this.. do I have to jump? Oh Gods, I don't want to jump.._ he thought to himself, and he looked around, for any alternate route, but he didn't dare move from where he stood. He closed his eyes, shutting everything out as best he could, only thinking of one thing.

Dean.

And he did it, he didn't think he could, but he did, and he was falling.

He screamed as loud as he possibly could, his actual body outside of this fear twitching.

When he opened his eyes, there wasn't any wind anymore, and he was alive, standing again, somehow.

 _Holy shit,_ he looked around, and he knew he was somewhere, and he could see, but it was strange, because he couldn't move, and he was there, but he could tell he was falling and he couldn't move.

He was thinking, trying to think of what this fear was, then he got it.

Paralyzation.

He could feel himself there, and again, knew he was somewhere, but he didn't know where, and he couldn't tell if he was on carpet or stone, grass or tile, and he felt like it was bright, but he just didn't know.

It was like thousands of things were happening at once, but he could only see one thing at a time, so he wasn't getting the whole picture, just bits, just small pieces.

He didn't know what to do this time, so he just laid there, like a stone, limp and lax, dazed eyes, half closed, begging for movement, going to no prevail.

He was screaming on the inside, begging to move, scared, utterly afraid, wanting an escape, but no path giving way.

That was, until, he thought.

_I have to stop it. I have to stop screaming. Screaming isn't going to do anything -- c'mon, Cas, think, think.._

_Oh!_

_Yes!_

_Okay!_

_Calm down, I got this, I just have to calm down, I gotta face it right, this isn't so bad, is it? Nooo, it's perfectly fine, it's not like I'm fucking paralyzed or anything, I'm gonna be greeaat!_

And thank the Gods because he was getting up all of the sudden, and the darkness and lightness that was in the room was replaced, now, with forest, and he was standing there, in front of him.

In front of Dean.

Oh Gods, what was this?

This has never been one of his fears before..

Well, it's not like he's ever quite literally faced his fears before, but Dean obviously wasn't one of them, so why was he there?

But then he understood.

Because something horrid was coming up behind Dean, and he was being pulled back into the trees, and he was suddenly on the run.

"Dean!" He shouted, chasing after him, and when he came to clearing, there he was, with a gun to the back of his head, and his green eyes were so wide, his hand slowly reaching up, grasping for Cas to come forward, but Cas took a step, and there was a gunshot, and Dean's head was flown sideways, body dropping to the ground.

When the ringing in his ears cleared, and when he had ended his screaming "Dean!", he was suddenly there again, the gun to his head, perfectly fine, in the same place he had been before he was shot.

And this time, Cas was running forward, and this time, their fingers almost touched, but he was dead again, and Cas was screaming again, falling to his knees, begging for this not to be real.

He realized, again, that it wasn't.

And he realized, again, that this was his fear.

Losing Dean.

He couldn't do it this time. There was no way.

He couldn't save him, how could he do this?

Did he have to lose all emotion for Dean?

Would he have to experience it so many times that the emotional pain would be numbed?

He had no fucking clue.

But he had just stood there.

Each time, just watching him die, watching his body fall limp to the ground until he couldn't take it anymore. And in the moment he thought he'd break, he was jolting up in his chair, screaming, sweating, arms flailing to find Dean, who was desperately trying to keep him calm.

"Cas, it's over, it's gone!" Dean exclaimed, but Cas' panting barely stopped, the child of Hypnos with wide eyes. She had seen everything that went down in his head, every moment of it. And she was seeing Cas fall foward and press his hands loosely, weakly, against Dean's chest, burying his head in the crook of Dean's neck, and letting tears fall down his cheeks.

"Cas, it's okay, it's over, I'm right here, it's over.." Dean rubbed his back reassuringly, Cas' hiccuping ceasing slowly but surely.

"How long -- how long was I out?" Cas asked, panting, still, then sniffling.

"Eleven minutes and thirty-four seconds." Dean sighed, the child of Hypnos still standing there, just watching. "The maximum time limit is fifteen minutes." Dean smiled, proud of Cas, the child of Apollo breathing out a chuckle into Dean's neck. He pulled away, letting out a shaky breath, the daughter of Hypnos walking out of the room.

Dean and Cas stayed there for another few minutes, no words being spoken, only the movement of hands up and down backs and sniffles giving way in the room.

"What did you see?" Dean asked after a while, pulling away again.

"I -- I don't want to talk about it.."

Dean nodded, respecting his choice and standing.

"You should probably rest before you fight me. You need the strength."

Cas' shoulders dropped, because after what he had just seen, over and over, made him beyond wanting to fight Dean. He had seen him die so many times that there was no way, shape or form, death included in the fight or not, that he would ever hurt Dean. But he had to, and with no words spoken about his three fears, they made their way back to the Ares cabin, Cas falling asleep with his fingers clutched onto Dean's shirt, the pads of Dean's fingers running along Cas' arms.

\---

"Time to go." Dean sighed, checking the clock.

_12:32._

"Go eat. I'll be in the arena." Dean got out from under Cas, Cas breathing out another shaky sigh and doing as told.

He didn't eat much, even though he knew he should have; it was just a burger and water, and aside from that, he didn't have enough of an appetite for anything else. Not after what he had seen not too long ago.

Like Dean had said, he was in the arena.

There were two judges, Sam, and Benny, who stood on opposing sides of the main court, Dean letting out a breath has he took his sword and got into position.

Cas did the same, taking Aeroga into his hands and looking at him, afraid of what he could do if needed. He didn't know how far Dean would take this, and they both knew that this fight didn't allow any mercy. Sam and Benny would make sure of that.

"Positions..! Set.. and.. go!" Benny shouted, and Dean was jutting forward, Cas sidestepping, sweeping under Dean's feet, but Dean was too fast, and there wasn't any effect at Cas' attempt at an attack.

The son of Ares twisted around, giving a hard, painful push into the middle of Cas' spine with his elbow, making Cas squeeze his eyes shut, groaning out in pain, a groan that made Dean wince and hope to the Gods that he wouldn't have to keep going.

But the Gods showed no give, and Cas was turning back around, and they were circling each other again.

Dean stared at Cas' piercing blue eyes as they moved, Cas suddenly pushing forward, punching Dean's side, Dean countering by shifting around and carving a line down Cas' chest, Cas wincing, desperate to stop, but he kept on.

He turned back around, dizzy, only to get another cut, this time along his lip. He brought his hand up to put a finger on the cut, bringing it to viewing level before he was back in the game.

Dizzyness coming over him, Dean pushed on, kicking him to the ground, Cas' head falling against the floor with a loud thud, and he had no idea how he hadn't just gone unconscious, because he was groaning, shifting his head slowly to the side, clearly in a tremendous amount of pain.

"Cas.." Dean breathed out, panting, Cas shaking his head.

"I'm okay.. I'm fine.." He muttered, but Dean was shaking his head, crawling on top of him, about to press the sword to his neck and win the game, which meant Cas woudln't be allowed into the  _Elites._ _  
_

But Dean didn't know what happened when he was suddenly shot backwards, a painful light in his eyes, and he was flown across the room, hitting the wall, falling to the floor, unconscious.

\---

**A Day & A Half Later**

"Dean?" Cas asked next to his bed in the infirmary, reaching out and holding his hand.

"Cas.." He muttered back, Cas smiling warmly up at him.

"What did you -- how did you -- what happened?" Dean asked, Cas shrugging, like it was nothing.

"Cas, what did you do back there?" Dean asked, unsure of what Cas had, to him, just done, when in reality, it had been thirty-six hours.

"I don't know, Dean.." Cas sighed, unsure of himself. "It was fucking badass, is all I've gotta say.." He chuckled softly to himself, shifting his head to look at his boyfriend. "I'm sorry, Cas -- I didn't want to do it either.." Cas shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. It's been thirty-six hours since we fought, Dean.."

"What?"

"Yeah.."

"Holy shit.."

They were silent for a moment, Cas nodding, leaning back in his chair.

"I'm in the  _Elites_ now. Imagine what Lucifer is gonna say to that when he comes back in the Summer." Cas smiled up at Dean, who had breathed out another soft chuckle. "Yeah.."

"I'm still yours.." Cas muttered, looking down at his lap.

"And I'm still yours." Dean looked down, too.

"I promise, I'll never hurt you again." Dean swore, Cas nodding.

But what had happened when Cas made Dean fly across the room was still unknown, and not a single letter of what Castiel had faced for his three fears was spoken, and Dean didn't even think of asking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was shit and no one can tell me otherwise~


	11. IMPORTANT NOTICE

Gods, Angels, & Demons has officially been postponed.

I have constantly tried to write the next chapter, and have forced myself to  
write, when before, I was very enthusiastic about it and wanted to write. Now, I find this story much less appealing than before, and I sure hope you lovely, wonderful people understand.

I am taking a break for an unknown length of time.

This length of time with stretch to my liking, and I understand that you truly enjoy this story, and I take that to heart, I really do, but personally, that's a whole different perspective. I really hope you understand that.

The specific reason that I will be taking a break from this story is because I am in desperate need of a sub!Cas story, which with an opening from this break, I can now do. With so many ideas for new fics pouring in, this is just.. not as appealing and fun.

And, another thing that's contributing to this feeling is The Great Coincidence.

For a while after I finished that, honestly,  
very honestly, I was so terribly heart-broken that I couldn't bring myself to write anything major for about a week. Honestly. And a piece of that feeling for The Great Coincidence is still in my head, but it's most assuredly not as major as before.

What I'm saying about The Great Coincidence is, well, it's scarred me (shush.  
for real tho). But, I mean, I'll still be writing Deceitful Vision, because that is a hella fun story to write.

I'm not going to go into major detail, or at least, further into detail with why exactly I'm taking a break from Gods, Angels, & Demons because it's currently 11:19 PM and I'm ever so tired.

Love you guys (endlessly) <3

I hope you understand!

\--- You're Feels Destroyer, Your Queen and Knight of Hell  
Cami ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿


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